


A Second Chance At Life (Pete White x Reader)

by rmorningstar21



Category: The Venture Bros
Genre: Alternate Reality, F/M, Fanfiction, Sucked Into TV, Venture Bros Fanfiction, real world reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2020-11-26 11:54:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 46,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20929799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rmorningstar21/pseuds/rmorningstar21
Summary: Intro chapter! Yay! I realized the summary honestly had a lot of spoilers in it, but this is a RW!Reader fic - sucked into Venture Bros by (hopefully) creative means.  Be prepared for a fun slow burn, lots of character development, and some triggers.  Will you be able to survive against your arch enemy, win a sexy albino's heart, and succeed in your second chance at life?





	1. I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *first chapter is edited*
> 
> Noting that this entire work is currently under (somewhat) heavy editing. Some chapters will be named incorrectly as I move them (with regular numbers instead of roman numerals for those which are added in between). This work may be a little old, but I've been trying to get back to editing it, and will be very happy once I get this story a little less jumpy.   
I'm not adding spoilers at the beginning, so I may write little notes on chapters that may be getting something added in front of them. Depends on how quickly the editing process goes.

It was hard to believe that not even two years ago that you had a somewhat normal life. You were just 25, a young mother of a beautiful little girl, and though you were a single mother, you did just about everything you possibly could for her. For that matter, you lived for her. The inheritance that you received at 18 from your father passing had been put away into a savings for the future, for a home on a hill with a white picket fence. Maybe by the point that you and her would make it to that point, you would have finally let a man get far enough into your heart for you to have a father figure in her life. 

You had so many plans for you and your little bundle of joy, and you wished for nothing but the best going forward. Having her alone, you were terrified, but once you held her in your arms, you felt unstoppable. The love that you possessed for that mini you was going to be what would change you for the better, and for a while it had. For a while, you had been pleased with your meager life with the little girl that made you so happy to be alive. 

That was until you had gotten into a crash. A while after your transfusion, you would have the comatose nightmare of the crash, where you had been going to retrieve your daughter from her grandmother’s home. Due to a drunk driver, you were practically squished by your steering wheel. 

Friends and family did not believe that you would survive, already making plans towards your funeral. Of course, that was until another option was placed in the lap of your mother. They recommended a blood transfusion, though if she had known who your doctor really was, she should have simply said no. 

After the diagnosis came back positive, you blamed her for not just letting you die. If you had simply passed, your little bundle of joy would not have been put through so much more heartbreak, watching her mother deteriorate over months. Your disease was no joke, but as it accelerated, you were sure sheer coherency became a translucent screen. 

Y/D/N had not known any better, since she was merely a few years old. When mommy started acting crazy, she likely thought that you were just acting silly. In the beginning, maybe that was a good excuse, but once she started asking about you, asking where you went, no one knew what they could even say. Your mother had told her that you were in a special place, and that you wished that you were able to see her in that special place. 

They kept her from you while you deteriorated into nothing. For the longest time, you would ask about her - ask how she was, and even ask your mother if she could bring your little girl to see you in the hospital. Every excuse in the world was given to you, until it just started becoming no. It was not your fault that you were slowly dying, nor was it your fault that the drunk driver hit you, providing a need for a blood transfusion. No one expected that a simple blood transfusion to save your life would actually cause Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. 

There were only two people in this world that knew what would become of you. One being the one who caused it, while the other being the bystander that was simply doing his job, while the rest of the world assumed it was an unfortunate turn of events. The Guild instructed him to bring in a new recruit, and you were the one that led the older, German descendant man to the villain the Guild could only hope for. Though it was a dimensional travel, your doctor was more impressive of a villain than most villains in the Guild itself. 

Bartering with the Guild of Calamitous Intent, he had pushed the need for the villain he brought to have an arch nemesis. In actuality, the elder man felt that with the right push you would be able to create a new life for yourself. If given the opportunity, you would be better. You could actually live your life, maybe finish your education, and make something of yourself. 

He waited in the dead of night, once the only doctors in the area were easily bested by his magic murder bag. Walking down the cold halls of the hospital, he made his way to your room. The old man’s intentions, even to the Guild, were a little bit of a mystery. Maybe he had a soft spot for romance, seeing those who are meant to be together happy together. It had taken a great deal of research from the older man with the magic murder bag to find someone suitable for you to have the most positive life with where he would be taking you, and even more to find you in the first place. 

The man reached your bedside, seeing your slender figure already growing cold and stiff. He held a frown upon his face as he stared down upon your lifeless figure, none of the doctors even realizing that you had passed already. It was a shame that someone with so much potential was cut down by the hand of evil, by someone they once cared about. As he reached a wrinkled hand down to touch your lifeless body, he carefully took your stiffening arm in his hand. 

The Guild was already delivered the man who destroyed your life, and now it was time for him to take you with him. Since the elder man was a mystery to most, no one had truly known the capabilities that he had to bring this woman, dead and internally decaying, into a strange new life to thrive. As he held his bag in the same hand as the umbrella he placed over the two of you, the two of you had floated off into the other dimension.


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *chapter 2 is edited*

Billy Quizboy, unlike his laid back companion Pete White, enjoyed the fresh morning air after waking. He would bring his coffee outside to sit in the deserted area, breathing in the start of the new day. Pete had always called him a little too over enthusiastic about it, but Billy did not mind it at all. Though he enjoyed the company of his friend, he also enjoyed the solitude of his mornings outdoors, the warm air waking him nearly as much as the coffee itself.

Today, he woke with a spring in his step, smelling the morning brew he had programmed into the coffee maker the night before. A gentle smile crossed his face as he made his way to the kitchen, greeting his much more groggy companion before pouring his cup, adding a little sugar into his cup. 

“How do you even have so much energy?” Pete grumbled out as he saw his friend practically humming as he was grabbing his coffee cup, getting ready to head outside for his daily ritual. It did not matter how many years that Pete had been living with Billy, it was always a confusing experience for Pete’s tired brain to comprehend. 

His friend shrugged, a brilliant smile upon his face. “Just woke up on the right side of the bed,” he said nonchalantly. Pete simply rolled his eyes at his companion before beginning to sip his own coffee. 

Gripping his cup tightly, Billy remained jovial as he made his way out the trailer door. Closing it gently, he made a spot for himself on the steps of the trailer itself, something that Pete would never be able to do. Since Billy was so small, it was like having a ‘boy adventurer’ sitting upon them, as he would refer, so it was never a bad thing to have him take refugee in that spot. 

He sipped some of his sweet flavored coffee as he glanced out to his typically dull surroundings. You had to travel a little ways before you would clearly see the Venture Compound, and would have to drive significantly further to actually see any other signs of life. Today, as he scanned his eyes over the surroundings, breathing in the crisp morning air, something was definitely amiss. 

Not incredibly far from the spot that he sat was something different than the usual sandy plain. An elder man dressed in black, carrying a black doctor’s bag and a gentle smile stood above a woman that lay unmoving. It was like the most fucked up Mary Poppins that Billy Quizboy could ever imagine. 

Before he even dared to make his way over to the elder man, nor the woman, he screamed, "White!" His cry was laced with desperation, and had immediately gotten his groggy companion's attention, the albino’s head popping up to an alert position.

Red eyes glanced over at his friend, as the man set down his own coffee and hurried over to the door where the shorter man was now standing, creaking it open. "What's wrong, Billy?" He asked in a panicked tone, his sarcasm that typically laced his voice gone. Something serious was written all over Billy's face, though Billy had not even fully identified what he had seen. 

"C-come quick, s-something outside," he said, barely even forming words, let alone logical sentences. 

The albino threw on some clothes to cover his sensitive skin, along with grabbing his sunglasses and umbrella before he followed the man out. As the two of them stood, frozen in spot together outside, the elder man had turned his attention to the two. While the elder gentleman's attention lied upon them, they could both feel themselves quivering in their spot. 

The elder man began to make his way closer. Billy practically clung to the albino’s leg as the two of them stood, staring in horror. Once the man had gotten close enough to have a casual conversation, or open his murder bag upon them, he allowed an almost creepy smile to pass his lips.

“I don’t plan to harm you, you silly-billies,” the elder man said in a thick German accent. He actually chuckled afterwards, causing both men to cower a bit more as they stood in front of this man. They felt unable to move in this moment, likely from the fear that the man was instilling upon them. “I brought you a present.”

The shaken albino was the first to speak, saying, “Are ya telling us that you brought us a cadaver? Neither of us want a, you know, dead body.”

“Who the hell are you?” Billy asked hastily, a terror filled tone in his voice. 

The elder man found humor in their fear, nearly laughing once more as he stared upon the two. His eyes were stern, but his smile showed differently. “She is dead now, yes,” he said, his thick accent making both men struggle to listen to his words. “When I am gone, she will be alive.”

“This guy’s nuts,” Pete said down to Billy, the two of them slowly calming down, though the elder man was still quite intimidating. Along with Pete's words, he made the action with his hands to further push what he was saying. Billy would have laughed at any other time, or at least rolled his eyes, but the stranger's presence left him unsettled. 

“I am Doctor Henry Killinger,” the man stated, ignoring the albino’s rude comment, “And what I have brought to you is by far the greatest present of all, but with all gifts, this requires dedication. All that I want from the two of you is for you to take the woman I have brought you in, for you to look after her.” He paused, glancing back on your stiff body before he continued speaking. “She will be very confused, adjusting to a new life. She may be fragile in the beginning.”

“It’s not like either of us are exactly rolling in the dough to take a straggler in,” Pete countered in a snarky tone, his face showing his distaste for what the man was saying. What it had at least sounded like was for them to take some deadbeat in and take care of her, something that neither man would have the financial standing to do. It was not like their business was truly booming in any sense of the word, as Pete even had to sell stock to Venture Enterprises once they wanted a gaming console.

Killinger chuckled at the albino man, saying, “She, on the other hand, is. The woman will have access to all of her funding, and-” He reached into his bag, pulling out a wallet and handing the men a small stack of hundred dollar bills. “-this will be her first month of rent, food, and bills.”

The men both looked at the money as it was handed to Pete, and the two of them practically stood with their mouths’ agape. “Uh, thanks,” Pete said before pocketing the money, after a moment of simply standing completely shocked. 

“Keep in mind that she is fragile,” Killinger repeated sternly in his thick german accent. “Now, go to her. She will wake in moments, and speak nothing of me.”

With that, the man held his umbrella high in the air, floating off before completely disappearing, causing both men to glance at one another. Pete shrugged, and the two of them averted their attention to the woman that began to move. Your body was turning back on, no longer plagued with CJD, in a completely different world. 

Your senses were very slow to come on, which was something that Doctor Henry Killinger had planned for. As your senses were working on coming back, you let out a waking groan, attempting to rise to your feet. This groan had gotten both men’s attention, causing them to shuffle quickly over to you. 

Your senses were beginning to flood your synapses, and your y/e/c eyes began to open. “What the-,” you started as your vision was coming to you. The one thing that seemed to be almost wrong as you began seeing everything around you in two dimensional. On top of that, as it looked, you were in a desert type area. Sitting up straight, you noticed there were two figures standing before you. 

The one man had pinkish skin, pure white hair, and was adorned in a matching outfit, holding an umbrella over his head. Looking next to him, the other man looked significantly shorter, and you would have almost thought it was a young boy if it were not for the wrinkles on his larger head. Though you knew the word for it, you could not think of it in that moment. 

“Morning, sunshine,” the taller man said in a sarcastic tone, before getting a quick slap on the arm by his companion. 

The shorter man spat out, “White, be nice.”

“I was!” he countered, giving his friend a grimace as he glanced down on him. 

The two men looked almost familiar to you, but all of it seemed like maybe it was a lucid dream, or a slip of consciousness. Your brain has been slowly turning into swiss cheese for over a year, after all, so this was almost normal to you. The difference in this time being, you knew that you had died. You no longer felt the pain coursing through your body that you felt prior, and you were no longer confined in a hospital bed. For that matter, you were in a desert! You stared upon the two men for a few moments, before finally opening your mouth once again. “I-I died,” you said in disbelief. “Why the fuck does hell look like a cartoon?”

“I can’t even tell if that’s an insult,” the taller man said with a laugh, causing you to cock your head to the side in confusion. 

You took your eyes off of the men, glancing around your surroundings. Next to you laid a bag that looked familiar to you, and you quickly grabbed it. Reaching around inside of it, you pulled out your phone, seeing that it was two dimensional as well. On the lock screen, you had a picture from back before the crash of you and your little girl, smiling together. For a few moments, you just stared at the picture, wishing that you could touch her again. You did not even know what she looked at by this point, and in this weird hell, you never would. 

The smaller man noticed you looking at the picture, a frown passed over his face. He walked closer to you, giving you a cold, yet comforting hand upon your shoulder. “Is that your daughter?” he asked in a kind voice, causing you to look up from the picture. Tears threatened your eyes, but you did not allow them to spill in front of these strangers. 

Nodding, you said, “I haven’t seen her in so long.” Silence fell over the three of you, before you finally took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly, and glanced back to the two men that were just kind of staring at you with sad eyes. “So, I’m just going to try to believe this isn’t hell and ask, where the fuck am I?”

“Colorado Springs, Colorado,” the smaller man said. 

You gave them both a deadpan expression, glancing between the two of them. “I mean, you’re both two dimensional,” you said cautiously. “My phone’s two dimensional, along with my picture, and wait.” Glancing down to your hands, you stood up quickly. “I’m a fucking cartoon?” Placing your head in your hands, you let out a deep sigh, trying to calm yourself. “Maybe the CJD hasn’t taken me fully yet.”

“Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease?” the smaller man said, shocked, before his eyes switched over to the taller man. Since they were both scientists, they did know a little bit about the disease, though it was not something that was often heard of. There were very few ways to get the disease, and it was not very common in humans. 

You nodded. “My mother approved the transfusion when I was going to die, and no one knew that the doctor switched it out for tainted blood,” you said with a grimace on your face. “I’ve been slowly rotting in a hospital for over a year, and well, I thought I was dead, but apparently I’m still just crazy.”

“You were dead, and now you’re not,” the pink skinned man said with a shrug. “We should probably bring her to the Venture Compound and check her out, though.”

“Venture Compound?” you repeated, placing your fingertips up to your lip as you were thinking before you began laughing. “Wow, I’m definitely crazy, but sure, why not.”

Receiving two strange looks from the men who found you in the middle of the desert, you watched as they glanced to one another before glancing back to you. Within moments, you found yourself following these men to their vehicle, which had been a two seater. Pursing your lips, you wondered exactly how this would work, until you watched the taller man get on the moped. 

When he motioned for you to get on, you carefully did so. Within moments, you felt the shorter man sandwiching you between the two men, causing you to move as close to the white haired man as possible. Somehow, you felt a touch of anxiety filling you as you watched the man start the moped, the smaller man gripped tightly to your back.  _ This is all too real,  _ you thought to yourself.


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *chapter 3 edited*

You felt the wind blowing through your hair as you rode the moped. As soon as the three of you took off, your arms wrapped tightly around the waist of the albino man. Everything was still truly two dimensional and strange, yet you felt the warmth of the albino man’s body as you held onto him. Mind reeling as the three of you journeyed, you would occasionally glance back to make sure the smaller man on the back was holding on okay. 

The crisp air assaulted your body at the velocity that he had been driving the moped, the woosh of the wind filling your ears on the quiet ride. You noted every difference between your comatose state and these new surroundings. No matter how you were feeling, thinking, imagining, you would always have the same pain through your body. Somehow, you just felt fine, though. Some days it was worse than others, but it was always there. Nothing in your mind had felt as real as this had, either. You felt almost comforted by how the two men you had met were not incredibly inviting, since everyone you ever imagined in your mind was the absolute opposite. 

The three of you arrived at the Venture Compound and you glanced up to see the large sign above you before quickly following behind them. What you had noticed was that the pink skinned man had to hold onto an umbrella positioned above him. "Here we are," the shorter man said with a grin against his lips, walking beside the two of you. 

"Rust ain't gonna be too happy we showed up unannounced," the albino man said, turning to the shorter man as the three of you made your way to the door. 

"If there's a girl involved, I don't see him having any issue," the shorter man snarked back. 

You already felt anxiety rising inside of you at their words, wondering how this could possibly play out. An unknown person would not be pleased to see them, and yet they took you unnanounced to their home. Before you had any word in edge-wise, though, the albino already rung the doorbell. 

Begrudgingly, a bald, slender man with a beard greeted the three of you in what looked like a scientist’s lab. "What the hell are you two doing here?" He said in an exhausted tone. 

"We need to use your lab for a bit, Rust," the albino replied. "Here, a, Billy and I will explain what's goin on if you let us in." 

Shrugging, the bald man let the three of you into his expansive home, walking you to what you would presume was the lab they were talking about. The three of them stood off to the side to speak about what exactly was going on. Leaving you out of it, you glanced around at all the different gadgets and devices that surrounds you. It had been a while of waiting before the men actually came back over to you. 

“So, you’re trying to tell me that this chick was dead, and you want to check to make sure she doesn’t have any traces of Creutzfeldt-Jakob's Disease,” the bearded man said skeptically, his face getting a little too close for comfort as he looked you over. “Why do you two even care? I mean, she’s hot as hell, but don’t you two freaks think she may be out of your league?”

You rolled your eyes at the man, sighing. “I’m standing right here,” you muttered, crossing your arms as the man finally gave you your personal bubble back. Though it may have been a while since you dealt with real life assholes, you could still recognize the brand. Even the vibe that the man put off showed that he did not care too much for the two companions that brought you. 

“Yes, yes, I know,” he said quickly, rolling his eyes. “And it was a compliment. I’m Rusty Venture, and you are?” As he continued speaking, he seemed to be fixing himself up, as if he could make himself look more appealing after his asshole comment that he had made to the two men that were at least nice enough to get you here. This man was definitely not someone your mind would have conjured up. 

You already admittedly were not a fan of the bearded Rusty Venture, but assumed that it would be imperative to not piss him off either. “Y/N,” you said simply. As you were trying to put on a kind smile for the man, you could practically feel your skin crawl. 

“A pretty name for a pretty girl,” Rusty Venture praised. "You know, you don't have to hang around these two." 

You noted that the man, though lacking appeal, was far from shy. Noting the possibility of desperation, you could feel yourself simply screaming on the inside. His words caused your eyes to glance over to the two men that had brought you there, pleading for them to get on with whatever they planned on doing. Your y/e/c eyes clearly read of your disinterest, with a 'please help me' look. 

“Come with me, Y/N,” the shorter man said in an enthusiastic tone, motioning towards what looked like an operational table. “I’m Billy Quizboy, by the way, and my albino companion is Pete White.”

Doctor Venture had looked a little dejected as you walked away from him with Billy. Letting out a bit of a distasteful huff, he ended up leaving the room for the process. After all, he had plenty of other things to take care of, and did not wish to waste his time with the three of you. 

You were relieved to see the man leave, already more comfortable in just the presence of the two men that had found you in the desert. “I’m slowly starting to believe that you’re all real, and I’m not sure if that makes me more or less crazy,” you said in almost a whisper. You were motioned to sit onto the table before there were brain mapping conduits placed upon your head, making you shudder as they were placed on. “Thank you, by the way.”

“You’re probably fine, but we just wanna make sure, you know,” White said with a small smile tugging upon his lips as he stood above you. “Now lie back.” 

You did as you were told, listening to a relatively quiet hum of a device as it scanned your brain as well as your vitals. It was admittedly much more comfortable of a process than anything that they had put you through at the hospital. For that matter, if your doctors had been nearly as handsome as the albino man, you would have probably appreciated the experience more than you had. 

When they were done with the brain mapping, the smaller man was holding the results sheet while the taller gazed from over his shoulder. It had taken a while before anyone had said anything, You focused upon the sensation of the cold table beneath you, as well as the soft ruffle of the paper as they looked it over, switching pages and double checking everything. “Everything comes out clean,” Billy finally said, his large head turning towards you with a brilliant smile upon his face. 

"Wonderful," you mused, a smile forming upon your own lips at the news. "I haven't heard anything that positive since the crash. Thank you both." 

The two of them ended up tying up any loose ends with Rusty Venture before the three of you made your way out of the compound. Though the two taller men seemed to be old friends, it seemed like the only time that they ever seen one another was due to someone’s benefit, primarily the one who made your skin crawl. Getting back on the bike, the three of you made your way back to the desert where you were found. 

You had vaguely seen the trailer that the two lived in, from the outside, when Pete and Billy had grabbed the moped. Now that the three of you were back, you were offered to come inside of their trailer, it merely being a little past noon. The albino, White, did not want to stand around outside and hold an umbrella over his head all day. 

When the three of you got inside, Billy sat upon a chair, while you sat beside White on the couch in their very small living room. While the three of you sat together, you got to know the two boys, while they asked questions about you. Billy was the main one asking questions, while White listened more than anything, giving sarcastic comments here and there. 

Finally, the two of them had explained that you would be staying with them, much to your relief. Since the two of them had their own rooms, you opted to sleep on the couch. After a while, the two of them left you alone to get settled in, allowing you to go take a shower before it got too late. White had gone to his room, while Billy went to his own. 


	4. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *chapter 4 edited*

After about a week of living with White and Billy, you were adjusting faster than either of them would have expected. They were initially hesitant to allow you to stay, but as you showed that you were willing to do more than simply pull your weight in their home, they both seemed happier to have you there. Billy was especially thankful for the extra help around the house, where he would have more time to do science related things. From what you learned, since White never helped around the house, or, in Quizboy's words, did anything, you were a huge help. 

  
  


Since the dimension you were living in now was a little further in the past, it was harder for you to find an online job to make money, but without a vehicle, you were determined to find one that would not make you leave the home. A flexible schedule was always your favorite, anyhow back when you were well. It was something you had picked up from motherhood. Within the week, you found yourself a temporary editing gig that would replenish the money you would be spending on rent and bills, though. Eventually you would go through the process of pursuing what you were most passionate about, but in the meantime, you wanted to fully adjust. Editing was a small skill you learned in college, and now you were putting it to the test.

While you were working on an editing piece at 7am, you could hear one of the boys walking out of their room, likely heading to the kitchen. "Morning," you murmured out as you were absorbed in the piece you were working on, not truly realizing which person was walking around you, nor really caring at the moment. You were determined to get your piece done as soon as possible, as thoroughly as physically possible. Each piece that you did would reflect your own skill, and you had to make sure that it was pristine. 

A somewhat cheery Billy had answered back, "Goodmorning, Y/N," on his way to grab his morning cup of coffee. You had already brewed a new pot of coffee, while you were sipping your own from the last pot while you were typing and editing away. It was not often that you would grab the coffee to pour the warm liquid into your mouth, but that was simply to get everything done faster. It also helped that you had been up for hours prior working on it. 

"What the hell are you doing?" White said as he walked out of his own room, heading over to get his own coffee. His voice reflected his grogginess, and if you were not so absorbed in your work, you may have chuckled at how kind of cute he sounded in the morning. 

Your eyes still did not leave the screen, though the sarcastic albino was hard to miss. "Just working," you murmured out, a small smile tugging at your lips. "I'll be done in a few."

"You already found a job?" Billy chimed in as he had overheard, and you were finishing up your last few corrections to send out for your editing piece. Your typing was fast, though the clacking of the keyboard was even getting on your own nerves, so you had opted to tread a little lighter on the keyboard as both men had been in the same room.

Simply nodding, you finished typing up, wrapped up the document and sent it out before closing your computer. "It's nothing phenomenal, but yeah," you say as you stood up and placed your computer on the stand by the couch. "I'm doing some freelance editing while I find something better." 

Both boys seemed shocked by this, glancing to one another before looking back at you. You shrugged at the looks and went to wash out your cup that previously had your coffee in it. "You know you've only been here for a week, right?" White said, shock apparent in his tone. 

"Still adjusting to a different dimension, and blah, blah," you said shrugging, hiding how you were truly feeling. "Keeping busy helps." 

“You’re like, rich though,” Billy added in with a laugh. 

You allowed a small smile to tug upon your lips, saying, “I prefer working hard.”

“She’s more motivated than you are,” White said sarcastically to Billy with a laugh.

"And way more than you are!" Billy countered. "You don't do anything!"

You began cleaning the trailer as the two began their own morning routine, listening to music in your headphones as you did so. Neither of them had complained more about your sudden switch from worlds, immersing yourself into work, though White would occasionally spare a glance over at you while you were cleaning. Each time he did, his face showed concern that you had not seen while you were so focused on what you were doing. 

Though White eventually focused upon the video game he was playing on the console, he stared at you for quite a while. Even Billy had noticed when he came back in. With you cleaning the whole trailer, though, Billy had just about nothing to do either. For a while, he disappeared into his room to work on an invention before coming out to see you still cleaning. 

Hours later, you had finally finished cleaning, and both boys were sitting around looking incredibly bored. Pete was on his console game, but since he had been on since you had started, he was ready to get off at least an hour prior. You took out your headphones and walked over to the two, before sitting next to Pete on the couch. 

"You guys look like you're having a fucking blast out here," you teased, leaning back on the couch and glancing at White's game. 

White glanced over to you before setting down his controller. "How do you still have energy after cleaning the whole trailer?" He said, as if he was simply exhausted by watching you. "I swear you started at 8."

You shrugged, giving him a halfhearted smile. "I used to do everything and anything," you said, letting out a soft sigh. "It isn't that I actually have energy, but I just know how to function without it." 

"What did you used to do anyhow?" Pete asked, realizing that getting to know the stranger in their home was better than doing absolutely nothing. 

Billy perked up at the idea of the question, turning his head to both of you, eyes resting upon you. "That is something you seemed to avoid mentioning," Billy said with a smile. 

You bit your lip gently, glancing between the two of them before you answered. It was hard to even think about your past life, before you had gotten sick in the first place. Though you remembered it all, for the most part, it was so haunting to think of even the good times. There was no doubt that you missed the good times, and all of those good times involved her. 

"Well, you both know I have a daughter," you started off, staring off to the window behind the television. "I owned my own business, starting it around the time she was born. The basics of cleaning, cooking, running all aspects of my business, small past times that I would fit in when I could. There wasn't a waking moment that I was doing nothing."

"How could you live like that?" Pete said in disbelief. 

You chuckled softly. "Because I had one reason to go on, a reason to do everything that I did," you said with a sad smile. "And coffee, I mean, coffee helped a ton."

"Didn't you have a husband, or you know, boyfriend maybe?" Billy chimed in. When he had said it, Pete glanced over to him with a warning glare. The two of them had spoken prior about you, and Billy had already seen the way that Pete stared at you anyhow. It was obvious that there was some sort of attraction to you, and Billy pressing for more information in that aspect was his way of seeing if Pete would have the go-ahead. 

You shake your head, your eyes refusing to leave the window that you stared at as you spoke. "I pushed just about everyone that got close away," you admitted sheepishly. "And then, after a while, I stopped letting anyone get close enough to push. Y/D/N had her little friends, and I interacted with humans long enough for her to enjoy playdates." Shrugging your shoulders, you could still picture the crash in your mind and tried to push it back out.

"That sounds lonely," Billy quipped in quietly. "At least White and I have had each other since I can remember." 

"Well, she's not alone now," White said with a smile, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and pulling you to him messily. "She's got us. An albino, a hydrocephalic, and an uh, ex dead chick, you know, sounds like a bad joke, but us freaks gotta stick together."

You could not help but blush at the sudden warm touch, a smile tugging at your lips. Billy's eyes flickered over suggestively to White when you were not looking, and White glared back at him. "God, White, don't scare her away," Billy said rolling his eyes. 

"I genuinely don't think you two could scare me away," you said with a soft chuckle, the blush finally calming down on your face. Both men could not help but allow smiles to tug upon their faces, and you could not hide yours either. These men had accepted you into their home, and they actually cared about you. Though you did have a bad habit of pushing this type away, something about improving yourself - the new you, with a second chance at life - made you want to stick around.


	5. V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *chapter 5 edited*

Upon adjusting to the dimension, you had also learned a great deal about your two roommates. One of these things happened to be how much the two of them would bicker with one another. In the beginning, this process happened to give you the worst headache, causing you to go outside for air whenever they would start. After being with the men for a few months, though, you realized that you had gotten used to their antics. 

"Are you gonna get the phone, or what?" Pete groaned out to Billy as he was in the middle of one of his games. 

"What is wrong with you?" You could hear Billy say to White. "Why don't you ever flush? There's like a bucket full of payday bars in there." 

"Come on, fella, you're blocking the screen!" He replied in annoyance as he was trying to see around Billy's head. 

"Is it so hard to pull the handle?" Billy said, clearly unamused. 

"Oh, no, where could I have heard this before?" Pete said with dripping sarcasm. "Could it be I read it, like, about a thousand times in those passive aggressive post its you put all over the camper?" 

"Those aren't passive aggressive," Billy countered. "They're informative. Are you going to get the phone or not?" 

You rolled your eyes and walked across the entire trailer to go and get the phone. With how small the trailer was, it was easy to hear them from wherever you were, making their later night bickering to be a bit off-putting, though you were not asleep anyhow. While Billy was bitching about the cleaning, you had taken over and already finished what he was doing. The whole process of what he was doing took about a minute, while it took you merely twenty seconds to reach the phone afterwards. 

"Can't," you could hear Pete saying to Billy as you were picking up the phone. "I'm apparently doing a drive-by mission for the tardis over here."

"Conjectural Technology, secretary speaking," you answered before rolling your eyes at the two men. "How can we make your tomorrow better?" 

"See, she does it!" Pete said to Billy, while he just scoffed. "If you press the start button, you can see your stats!" White said excitedly while you were listening to Doctor Venture on the other line. "I am awesome." 

"Oh, well, I'm sure it's possible, but let me just double check," you said before placing your hand on the receiver and turning to the two boys that were both a little embarrassed that neither of them got to the phone. "Uh, guys, mysterious malady. They want you to check it out, and fix him up. Up for it?" 

"It's theoretically possible," Billy said quickly, in an unsure tone. "Though there is a rather steep fee." 

Taking your hand off of the phone receiver, you said, "As long as you understand they have a rather steep fee." You listened to him say 'yeah, yeah, quick please'. "Wonderful! They'll be there. Goodnight." 

"So," Pete said excitedly once you got off the phone, "We have a job?" 

"Yes," you said with a soft smile, before sitting next to Pete. "Doctor Venture wants you guys there tomorrow to look at his son Dean."

"Did you tell him that the computer technician is needed," Pete asked, "And ask for more money for fuel for the helicopter?" 

"I obviously made it clear that you both will be working it," you said with an eye roll, "Though you do not have a helicopter." 

"Doctor Venture doesn't know that," Pete said with a smirk. 

"If you two want mystical things said when the phone is answered, I should be informed beforehand," you said with an exhausted sigh before leaning against Pete. 

"I didn't know we had a secretary," Billy said with a teasing tone. "It likely sounded professional, though." 

"Ooo, sexy secretary?" Pete joked out. 

"The sexiest unpaid secretary you can find," you said with sarcasm, giving a smirk while your y/e/c eyes glanced over at the tall albino man.

"You two need to get a room," Billy said with a teasing tone, causing you to blush. 

Pete snickered and pulled you into your lap, making it so you could lay back against his chest as he held the controller in front of you. "Can't, too comfortable," he said. 

Billy rolled his eyes, before beginning to head out to the other room. You called out, "I finished cleaning already while the two of you were bickering." 

"We weren't bickering," they both basically said at the same time. 

You let out a sigh. "Whatever you two prefer to call it," you murmured, cuddling into Pete's arms. While you sat on Pete’s lap, you did not see his red eyes glance down upon your small figure, nor the genuine smile that tugged upon his lips as he felt the warmth of your body in his arms. Though he would not admit it himself, he thoroughly relished in times such as this. They may have not been often, but the way that the two of you play-flirted had already been affecting him.

"He's gonna kill us one of these days," Pete quipped out laughing as he saw his disgruntled friend leave the room. 

You could not help but snarkily banter, "This definitely wouldn't be the worst way to die." 

Pete couldn't help but chuckle as he squeezed you a little subconsciously, still playing his game. What you had not seen was the soft look upon his face as his red eyes glanced downward upon you, a smile tugging upon his lips. He rested his head comfortably on your head, blushing a little as he continued playing his game. 


	6. VI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *chapter 6 edited*

In the morning, you had to make sure to wake White up so that he would be ready to head over to the Venture Compound for their job. You grabbed him a cup of coffee prepared the way you had seen him do almost daily, quietly creaking the door open and slipping yourself in. You could not help but smile at his adorable sleeping figure as you placed the coffee on the nightstand. First, you leaned down near his ear, whispering, "White, it's time to get up." 

"No, Mommy, I don't want to go to school today," he murmured as he was asleep. 

You tried to keep your composure, but after a moment you broke down laughing. That had unfortunately woken him up, causing him to stare at you with a confused face. "What's so fucking funny?" He groaned out, completely unamused by your joyous amusement this early in the morning. 

With a soft smirk on your face, you had composed yourself once more. "I just didn't know you were  _ that _ kinky, White," you teased, causing his face to flush a little bit. He could only imagine what you had heard him say in his sleep, after all. "Anyhow, I came here to wake you up, sleeping beauty. Also brought you coffee." 

"Ah jeez, the job," he said groaning once more before rising out of bed. Your eyes took in the heart shaped pattern on the white boxers that he wore, along with his slender, shirtless frame. Blushing deeply, you avert your eyes to the floor, but not before he caught the blush on your face. "What, you like what you see?" 

"In your dreams, handsome," you said sarcastically, biting your lip nervously before turning about face and beginning to walk out of his room. Flustered and blushing, you placed your hand upon the handle of the door before you finished talking to him. "Y-you have a half hour before the two of you need to leave." 

As you walked out of Pete's room to go grab your coffee, you were immediately stopped by Billy. "Y/N, glad I found you," he said happily, immediately making you think he was looking for a favor. "It is imperative for us to promptly show up for this job, and your car is much faster. I know you've said it's off-limits to drive, so would you drive us to the Venture Compound?" 

You took a sip of your coffee as you shrugged at the man. It had been true that these men did not know you overly well yet, but you had grown fond of the two. When you had purchased a cheap camaro, you specifically told them there was no way in hell that you would allow Pete to drive it, seeing as you were not even entirely sure he had driven a car in the past ten years. 

After a moment of thought, a soft smile crossed your face. "I would be willing to, sure," you said in a light tone. "I'll go change and grab my laptop. Make sure both of you meet me at the car on time." 

He simply nodded and watched as you downed your hot coffee quickly before you scampered off to get ready. White had slunk out of his room groggily, the coffee not fully kicked in as he adorned his normal white and pink attire. The two of them shared a look, before the smaller man began laughing. 

“God, what’s so funny this morning,” Pete muttered out in an aggravated voice, the blush that adorned his face still not fully dissipated. 

The Quizboy merely adorned a slight, knowing smirk, seeing as he had seen the flustered expression that was still fading from your face as he initially ran into you. Seeing as both were scientists, it should not have been brain surgery to see what was going on between the two of you, and yet the blissfully unaware albino had not seen what was right in front of him. Not wishing to intrude too much upon his companion’s life, he simply said, “Just thinking of something she said earlier.”

Pete’s eyes narrowed, seeming a little more awake than before as he replied, “Did she tell ya what I said before I woke up? Because, ya know, I kind of wanna know.”

Billy rolled his eyes before shaking his head. The two men then made their way to the car as they were told to, you already out there waiting for them. Bag already in your car, you leaned against the hood of your car, a smile appearing upon your face as the two of them walked over. Pete took shotgun, while Billy sat in the middle of your back seat. Though you were not excited to see Doctor Venture once more, you knew how much the business had meant to Billy and Pete, knowing full-well to keep your mouth shut.


	7. VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *chapter 7 edited*

"Alright, now let's see what this fuss is all about," Billy said enthusiastically to Dean. Why you ended up getting stuck standing in the same room with everyone was beyond you, but you had been dragged in. The boys were unaware of what you had gone to college for, but never gave any sort of inkling that the medical field was your thing, either.

"Dean, you wanted a doctor, and Billy is one of the best," Doctor Venture said to his son. "Now drop those pants, Mister."

"Actually, this is more of a job for a urologist," Billy said a matter a factly. 

"Billy is more of a neurogeneticist," Pete added in. Your brows knitted together as you watched the two men who seemed to say all the wrong things. Never so badly did you wish to just sneak out of the room, and yet you knew it would be noticed. 

"Yeah, but this kind of thing should be a walk in the park," Billy clarified with a smile. 

"A walk through a park with genitals for trees," White joked with a smile upon his face. 

"And hair for grass," Billy added, almost chuckling.

"Oh, I'm sure that put him at ease," Doctor Venture said exhaustedly. "You two may want to work on your bedside manner." 

You let out a sigh as you watched the two of them trying to word things in a gentle way, failing at such. Walking beside Dean, you said, "They may not be incredibly poetic, but they're trying to say that he'll be able to make you feel better." 

"Come on, there, fella," Pete said, leaning against the table. "You could have a real problem. With your lifestyle, who knows? Could be an implant or a space virus, or uh-."

"Parasite," Billy said with a smile, sitting next to Dean on the table. 

"Sure," Pete agreed. "Parasite growing larger by the minute. It probably wants to eat your brain." As Pete spoke, he made motions with his hands that made you want to smack your forehead with your own hand. There was no doubt that the two were terrible at bedside manner, though they were at least honest. 

"Okay, okay!" Dean said finally in a panicked tone. "But I don't want you to look." 

"Fine, I'll go behind the screen," Doctor Venture said with a huff.

"Alright, let's see 'em," Billy said, getting into a better position between Dean's legs. 

"I don't want to show my junk to a little boy!" Dean exclaimed. "Why can't the pretty girl look?" 

"Oh, come on!" Doctor Venture exclaimed. 

"You said you wouldn't look," Dean spat back. 

"I'm not looking!" Doctor Venture explained with arms raised, aggravation clear in his tone. "And she isn't a doctor. Billy, fess up to the boy. He's been pulling that boy genius crap for at least the twenty years that I've known him." 

"Well, nobody's really that impressed with Master Billy Quizboy, adult genius," Billy said uncomfortably. 

"Like a speech impediment and growth hormone deficiency qualifies you as a boy genius," Doctor Venture retorted. 

"Don't forget the huge head," Pete added in, making you roll your eyes. 

"I copped to it," Billy defended. "Now you guys are just ganging up on me. Could we just do this, please?" 

Dean unzipped his pants and you had refused to look anywhere near the area the three were standing. You could hear Billy exclaim, "Holy mackerel! I am not prepared to rule out the parasite hypothesis." 

Curiosity had gotten the best of you and you did end up opening your eyes for a moment, regretting it immediately. As you did, you walked closer to the group, looking at the incredibly swollen testes. In a low voice, you said, "They're twisted. I've seen them bad, but doubtfully ever this bad."

"I thought she wasn't a doctor," Dean said with an uncomfortable look on his face. 

You crossed your arms, a frown upon your face. "My ex was," you clarified. "Medical sciences were not my studies, though I've learned a fair share."

White, Quizboy, and Doctor Venture all glanced at you in a quickly impressed manner, causing you to blush uncomfortably before heading back to your corner. You were not incredibly happy about the fact that you had not finished school, though your doctorate would not have been in medical sciences. That was something you were too embarrassed to bring up, even to White or Quizboy. 

After a while, Billy had gotten a clipboard, examining the testicles further and writing down notes as he did so. The entire time that he was actually examining the boy, you turned to the wall, thoroughly uncomfortable with the whole situation. 

"That would be known as acute testicular torsion," Billy clarified. 

"What does that mean?" Dean said, immediately confused with the larger, obscure words. 

"Well, in a nutshell, no pun intended," Billy started, "As Y/N pointed out, your balls pulled a 180. In a way, you're kind of lucky. It only happens to one in four thousand."

"It's like you won the genetic freak lottery," Pete added in. 

"I blame myself," Doctor Venture said sheepishly. 

"Oh, there's nothing you could have done," Billy clarified. 

"I could have fixed this in the prototype phase," he continued, causing everyone's eyes to draw attention to Doctor Venture. 

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Billy said. "Raising a son is an experiment no scientist is prepared for." 

"That's beautiful, Billy," Pete said with a smile. 

"Thanks, I just came up with it," Billy said, looking over at Pete. 

"Well, what happens now?" Dean asked. 

"We have a couple of options here," Billy said. "We can do nothing; it'll probably keep swelling, and let me tell you that Beach ball you're packing down there can't afford that. Or, I can perform orchiopexy." 

"That means he wants to operate on you," Pete said with a smirk. "And, ya know, tie it down." 

"No way!" Dean said, sitting back up. "He's not going to operate on me!" He pointed at Billy harshly before turning his gaze to his father. "Dad, can't you fix this? Aren't you a doctor? Make it go away! Please!" 

"Take it easy, Dean," Doctor Venture said in a calm, soothing tone. "Well, what happens if we wait?" 

"That's not good," Billy said in a serious tone. "My guess is that in a couple of hours, your son's testes are going to die, then atrophy." 

"Think raisins," Pete said, "or, better yet, you know when you're eating peanuts and you crack one open, and the little nut is all dark and crammed into one corner-" 

By this point, you had enough of listening to the cringe conversation about Dean Venture's testes. You slipped out unnoticed, holding your bag close to you as you found your way to what at least looked like a living room. Sitting down at the edge of the large, circular sectional, you brought your laptop out and instead of getting on work things, you brought up one of your picture folders. 

Slowly, you went through the pictures, looking at the beautiful smile on your daughter's face. Doctor Venture had not taken long to come out to the same room with a sandwich, turning on his television and beginning to watch something that you did not really care about. You were too focused after all. 

When you had heard him say, "You have a daughter?" you glanced up from your screen. 

"I did," you said with a soft sigh. "When I was alive and in my dimension. She turned four around the time of my accident, and she was almost five the last time I ever got to see her." 

"Feel lucky you got out before she turned into a teenager," he said with a laugh. "They turn into monsters." 

You frowned, shaking your head. "I would have loved to see her grow up," you said in a soft tone. "She was that one good thing in my life, and even if she was going to break my heart over and over, I'd rather I was around to see it." 

"Don't you like it here, though?" He asked curiously. "I mean, you're hanging with the freak patrol, but still." 

You shrugged, glancing back at your laptop once more before closing it. "I'm fond of them both," you said with a chuckle. "It's nice to have people that care. What I don't like is the fact that I slowly went crazy, my brain turning to swiss cheese. I don't like the fact that I have to miss her every day, either. I even missed her when I was crazy." 

"You still have to be crazy to be living with those two," Doctor Venture said with a chuckle. 

"I don't know about that," you said softly. 

He shrugged before turning back to his television program, murmuring out, "They're nice to you because you're hot." 

You rolled your eyes, trying not to piss off the man that was sitting next to you, though you wanted so badly to defend the two you had been living with. Sure, White was touchy from time to time, but it always made you feel comfortable. It even made you feel safe, for that matter. You loved those moments that he would mess around and lay on you or pull you into his arms. 

It took a while before the surgery was completed, and you had basically spent the entire day at the Venture Compound. Though you did not mind the idea of getting out of the house, you did think that just maybe you should have dropped them off and pick them up later. If you had known it was a surgery, you just may have. 

Dean Venture had a line of people to give him kind words and somewhat strange things after his surgery as he laid where you spend most of your day prior. You allowed them all to go through their line as you move yourself out to your car. Already letting Billy know to take their time, you lied in the back of your car, listening to music as you stared at the picture that you had on your phone. 

Being around Doctor Venture's kid had reminded you of Y/D/N, and you could not help but miss her terribly. The music you had put on to listen to was from a show that you used to watch with her, and it reminded you of the good times, before you had gotten sick. 

You got swept away into the song  _ Do It For Her _ from Steven Universe, thinking about how you would have fought for her. For that matter, you would have done just about everything for her. When you knew that her father was dangerous, you knew not to tell him that it was his. While you were in danger, she would have been much less well off if he had known. 

Back when you got pregnant with Y/D/N, you lied to him. He hated you for your lie, since he believed that you cheated on him. You told him that you never cared for him, which was not an entire lie, but after he started hurting you, that was when you stopped caring for him. When you knew you had brought a child into the equation, it gave you the exact motivation that you needed to get away. 

While you listened to the song, you could not help but sing along to it. It was the first time you had sung since you got sick, but you could not help it. Tears threatened to spill from your eyes as you sung to her picture, and the surprise of the passenger side door opening caused you to quickly stop what you were doing, wipe your eyes inconspicuously, and sit up straight. Climbing into the front, you were greeted by Pete. 

"Interrupting something?" He said with a soft chuckle, seeing how jumpy you were when he had opened the door. 

You bit your lip, shaking your head. "N-no," you said in a shaky tone. "I was just waiting and you startled me." 

"Sure," he said, completely unconvinced. He reached a slender hand to your chin, turning your head to look at him. "You were crying." His voice was almost weak as he said it, his eyes showing a little shock. 

"S-sorry," you said, taking in a shuddering breath and calming yourself down. "I was just thinking about my daughter. I just miss her sometimes." 

He stared at you for a while before he even reacted, trying to think of what he could do. Taking a leap of faith, he brought his slender hand over top of your slightly trembling hand, his soft, warm skin calming. "Jeez, hey, you shouldn't apologize for being a good mother,"

“Thanks, Pete,” you said softly, a small smile pulled at your lips. He squeezed your hand gently, reassuringly in response. The two of you had gotten so lost in one another’s eyes that you barely heard the back door open, Billy Quizboy entering the car as a signal for the three of you to leave. 

The point that the two of you realized that you were not alone was when he vocalized, “Could you two longingly gaze at each other, like, at home?”

Blushing deeper, you quickly took your hand and glanced away. Using your hand that had already missed the warmth of Pete’s to start the car, you drove the men back to the trailer. Most of the ride may have been in silence if it were not for the fact that you had to listen to the two of them bicker about what that was or wasn’t, causing you to just attempt to tune them out.

When the three of you had gotten home, Billy and Pete had separated ways. Pete went to his video games, while Billy had an idea about an experiment that he wished to play around with. Though you desired to lean against White, enjoying his warmth as you worked, you could not turn down the opportunity to oversee what Billy was up to. It had been so long since you did anything truly scientific, and you had made the excuse that you were merely curious. 

Giving him a few helpful inputs, it was a small invention that he was working on, but it turned out to be a little positive thing. He had thanked you for the help you had put into it, while you had not noticed White staring at you all adorned in safety goggles and a scientific smock. Somehow, though you thought you looked a little nerdy, he could not help but find it sexy.


	8. 9

Today, they mentioned going to the Venture Compound to walk around the tag-sale that Rusty had organized to sell off some of his father's equipment. You could not help but smile at the idea of actually being able to get out of the house with them, though you understood the struggles that White had with going out in general during the day. "Are you guys almost ready?" You asked in an exhausted tone as you leaned against the doorway, awaiting the two men. 

"Can't believe it's the chick waiting on us guys," White said sarcastically with a chuckle. 

You simply rolled your eyes as you heard Billy saying, "I'm almost done." 

You were dressed in a black shirt with y/f/d on it, paired with a black and white vertical striped skirt, and knee high black socks underneath your high top converse. While your hair was down, it still looked like you had taken hours making it perfect. As you hated to admit it, part of you had been dressing up merely to impress the albino.

Billy had come out first, and did a fake cat call before saying, "Babe alert!" Playfully he rose an eyebrow and pointed his head back to the trailer to suggestively offer the albino. It had been obvious to Billy that both of you were interested in one another, though neither of you would seem to budge. 

"I don't think you're supposed to say that where I can hear you," you said rolling your eyes and giving him a half smile. "Though, uh, thanks."

As White walked out, his red eyes glanced at you from over his sunglasses before he pushed them back up to cover his eyes. "Ya know, he wasn't kidding," White said in his ever so smooth tone, before throwing some sarcasm at you. "Is your plan to blend in with super villain sheek, or pick yourself one up?" 

You rolled your eyes at White, before motioning for him to get in the car. "Though I just love blending in with the super villains, my true goal is not to embarrass the most handsome man at the tag sale," you said, starting off with sarcasm in return. 

“Goddamn Rusty,” White said, before chuckling. Since the only four people you had met so far were White, Billy, Dean, and Rusty, he thought it safe to assume anyone but the two that you lived with would have caught your attention more. Though he attempted to use his albinism as a tag to get ladies attention, in actuality he was relatively self-conscious because of it. After all, when he was working on Quizboy, he did hide his albinism on screen. 

You cringed at the name Rusty, before laughing. “Yes, White, exactly,” you said, your tone dripping with sarcasm. “You’re quite the detective.”

“You only know four people in this dimension, let alone three people of age,” he said with a shrug, before making his way into the car. 

“Learn to take a compliment,” you said with an eye roll, before you started the car and began driving. As the three of you drove over to the Venture Compound, you could not help but think of what you had actually said to White. You wondered if maybe he just thought you were joking around, which was likely, seeing as he did not say anything afterwards. 

As you parked in the ever filling up compound, you scanned around with your eyes to see the mass amount of people that had truly attended this tag sale. It was amazing to see how many had actually attended, and how many were blatantly supervillains. The three of you made your way over to the long line in front of the tag sale, standing off to the side to watch it go down a bit before getting into the line. 

"Well, this looks incredibly safe," you whispered sarcastically with a chuckle. 

"You probably shouldn't have dressed up in your sexy villain sheik," White teased. "There's already three villains staring at you." 

"They're probably eyeing you up, pretty boy," you retorted back with a slight smirk, before averting your gaze from the crowd over to him.

White rolled his eyes at you, before he glanced out to the crowd as well. “Billy,” he said, trying to get his friend’s attention, “Check out that honey-pot over there.” He pointed back with his fingers, giving Billy a wry smile as he spoke, his voice suggestive. You could not help but feel a little jealous rise in you, but you kept to yourself as the two of them spoke, looking around at all the different villains yourself. “That’s the kind of arch enemy we need.”

“That’s Doctor Girlfriend,” Billy said with an excited smile after glancing back where Pete’s finger was pointing. “She kicks it with that wash-up that thinks it’s cool to wear butterfly wings. Oh what’s his name.”

“The Monarch - Wait, that’s Doctor Girlfriend?” White said after a moment upon realization of what his friend was saying. “People say she’s kind of, you know, manly.”

“Nice tits, though,” you chimed in with a sly smirk. You were really trying to play off the jealousy that was raging inside of you as you listened to the conversation, and your best bet at the moment was to throw in little compliments to not seem like you were tearing her down, nor showing that you were actually jealous. Part of you cursed yourself for feeling the rush of jealousy surging through you, but the idea of White eyeing up anyone but you seemed to make you uncomfortable. 

_ I can't be fucking serious, _ you thought to yourself with a frown, happy that the two were distracted enough to ignore your sudden discomfort.  _ If I just grab his hand...god what the fuck am I thinking? He can be into whoever the hell he wants. _

Billy’s voice went hushed as he responded, “Totally. And I heard from a reliable source that she has a surgically implanted baboon uterus.” It was almost humorous watching Billy make the actions as he spoke about the baboon uterus, though that specifically was a major turn off from the woman, in your personal opinion. 

“Can they even do that?” Pete asked in somewhat disbelief. 

“Your naivety is alarming,” Billy replied, causing your eyes to roll. “I have personally grafted a pony’s face onto the abdomen of a well-known celebrity.”

“Is it someone I’ve heard of?” White asked, incredibly interested by this point. You could even see him biting his lower lip as he anxiously awaited Billy’s response. 

“I do not kiss and tell,” Billy replied solemnly, though you could tell he was incredibly proud of the fact that he had done it in the first place. 

Thankfully after that little conversation and Underbheit scarring everyone’s mind with his jaw being taken off, the three of you had gotten into line, the line going a great deal faster after Underbheit. When you had gotten to the front, Sampson gave you an odd look as he said, “State your name.”

“Y/N L/N,” you said simply, giving him a gentle smile. 

As he eyed you more, he started to talk about how The Guild of Calamitous Intent has the 1967 law stating casual interaction, which caused your face to deadpan, your arms crossing as you stared at him. “I’m merely a civilian,” you said awkwardly, before his face contorted for a moment. He stepped aside and allowed you to pass, where you had already managed to lose White and Billy. 

Knowing that the two of them were going to go try to hit on Doctor Girlfriend, you felt your lips curl into a frown before you began to look around. It was not long that you were looking around that you had felt something tap on your shoulder, though you could not see even a finger in the corner of your eye. Initially, without seeing anything, you kind of just brushed it off. 

"Excuse me, Miss, but is there any chance you're looking to be someone's number 2?" The voice asked wryly, causing you to internally shudder. As you turned your head, you caught sight of a villain without visible limbs with his trying-too-hard gentleman's smile. To top it off, his face was actually relatively close to you, making you feel even more uncomfortable. 

You shake your head, giving him a kind smile in return. "You may mistake me for someone I'm not, sir," you said softly, shyly even. "I'm merely a civilian."  _ He's clearly a villain, and I don't need an arch enemy right now,  _ you thought to yourself, trying to dance around any sort of rudeness.

Without warning, you felt a hand that you could not see cup your chin, causing your heart to race with fear. Surprisingly, the invisible hand still had the warmth of any other’s visible hand, though you wished that he would move it as soon as it touched you. "Anyone under my wing proves as a quick study, my dear," he said in a low, almost suggestive tone. "My name is Phantom Limb, and you, mon cheri?"

You felt your skin practically crawling as you were stared down with his eyes, before you took a shuddering breath. "Y/N," you said in barely a whisper, fear coursing through your mind as you stared into the man's gaze. 

"Enchante," he replied in a smooth voice, a smirk curling upon his lips. "I can see it in your eyes, Y/N, the possibilities are endless."

You bit your lip gently, before replying. "Though it is a kind offer, I'm not looking to be evil," you replied cautiously as your eyes flickered away from the unnerving gaze. 

"I don't plan on hurting you, mon amour," he replied as he realized your steady desire to get away from the man. He let go of your chin, only to take one of your hands in his invisible one and kiss the knuckle upon your hand gently with his lips. "I merely desire to help a beautiful woman find her place."

"Though it's kind of you, I must respectfully decline," you replied gently, so genuinely terrified of angering the superhuman man. Where the hell were any of the two men when you needed them, and as you had realized that they were still likely talking to Doctor Girlfriend, while you were stuck fending off a supervillain. 

He had seemed to have gotten the hint after a little bit of awkwardness, though he did say, "If you ever change your mind, the guild is always open for new recruits." Pausing, he decided to throw in his own little tag line. "And the offer of my number two spot is  _ always _ open for a rose as yourself."

Before he had fully walked away, another scarily familiar voice boomed out behind you. "Why, Y/N, long time no see," the voice said in a sickening way, causing a shiver to send down your spine. "Limb, she is off-limits." Phantom Limb crossed his invisible arms and scoffed before walking away, leaving you with the familiar voice. "No warm welcome, my dear?" 

Sucking in a deep breath, you turned to face the man who had been responsible for your fatal disease. "I'm sure silence is warmer than anything I would prefer to say to  _ you, _ " You replied, crossing your arms as your eyes landed upon the man's piercing green eyes. His slick black hair had grown longer since the last time you had seen him, and he wore a costume, but you would recognize that man anywhere. 

"Aw, my sweet," he said with a manic chuckle. "You can relax. This is hallowed ground, and I'm with the Guild." 

"Then why is it you decided to come up to me in the first place?" You said with a huff, glaring at him. 

"Aren't you surprised to be alive?" He questioned with a smirk. "Surprised to see me in this dimension?"

"Well, obviously, but you sabotaged my transfusion," you said sharply. "Why should I believe a word you say?" 

"You shouldn't," he said with a smirk. "I just wanted to reintroduce the face of the man who will be killing you once again." 

"You have to go by Guild protocol, though, do you not?" You replied, narrowing your eyes at him. 

He nodded, the smirk not leaving his face. "I do, but you should watch your back, darling," he said with a smirk, before waving and going off to look at other things. While you were still alone, you purchased a weapon for you to grab on your way out later, since if that man was now in this dimension, death threats already starting, your best bet would be to be armed. Shooting a gun shouldn't be too difficult, anyhow. You walked over to another stand and began pretending to browse as you got your thoughts together. 

The next person to knock you out of your train of thoughts, you almost turned around to yell at. White had thought it would be so hilarious as you looked like you were intently looking at things to lean close to the shell of your ear and whispered, “Guess who.” 

You spun around quickly, your flaming eyes quickly calming as they landed upon the albino man. With a soft sigh, you met his red eyes with a much more playful glare than initially intended. "You're lucky you're fucking adorable, White," you snapped.

"Someone's jumpy," he teased with a smirk on his own face, placing his free hand on his hip as his red eyes stared at you. “Wait, kitten adorable or sexy adorable?”

You rolled your eyes, crossing your arms over your chest, your cheeks flashing with blush for a moment. “Pretty sure you can guess,” you said, still a bit jealous about the whole Doctor Girlfriend situation. 

The flicker of jealousy shown in your y/e/c eyes, and his red eyes had barely caught it, though his lips down turned slightly as he had.  _ Is she...?  _ He thought as he stared down upon you, wondering whether or not what he had seen was true. 


	9. VIII

Shortly after, Billy had shown up as well, and you changed the subject quickly. "Any luck on you boys impressing your arch crush?" You asked, immediately answering his internal question. Red eyes did not leave you as the conversation transpired. 

"Not one bit," Billy said in a dejected tone, shrugging as he spoke. “Apparently she was not impressed by a hydrocephalic or an albino.”

You could not help but chuckle almost sarcastically, bringing you hand up to your forehead and rubbing your temples for a moment. Placing your hand back down at your side, you sarcastically said, “You guys really know how to hit on women." Lips tightening a bit as you continued, your glance flickered to the asshole you had dealt with prior. "All you need is to get some tips from Phantom Ass over there.”

“Wait, really?” Billy said, for a moment thinking you were serious.

You glared down at him before saying, “No, no, no. He fucking terrified me.” 

“Maybe you should have told him you have a boyfriend,” Billy suggested with a smile, his eyes darting to point at Pete. You felt a bit of blush rise in your cheeks as you saw what he was insinuating, but you attempted to hold it down and brush it off. After all, they were the only two people in that world that had made you feel comfortable, and you did not wish to scare him away. 

Pete had caught on to his insinuation, saying, “Hey!” to him and giving him a glare. You could not help but chuckle at his reaction, and the two ended up parting ways to look at more things. Apparently they were interested in a few different things. Keeping your eye out as you pretended to take an interest in the things that you were looking at for when they would go up to the counter, you made your way to the counter by White's side when you saw them finally go over. 

At the counter, Doctor Venture sat beside it, taking a look at the miscellaneous things that Billy had brought up to it, listing them out. “So, let’s see,” Doctor Venture started, “That’s the 7 and Ragged Tiger t-shirt, the shrink ray, and the santa windsock.” He then picked up the shrink ray. “Uh, this runs on two double A batteries and superheated phosphates.” 

Handing it to Billy, Billy ended up shaking it by his ear, saying, “What? Is there a tic-tac in there?” By this point, Billy was pointing at the gun itself with his robotic hand. “And you have a picture of a shrink ray gun on the shrink ray gun. That is totally retarded.”

“If you had like a silhouette of a giant guy maybe next to a small guy, you know, with a ray gun, circles coming out,” Pete chimed in, while you just stood there trying your hardest not to break out laughing. They were putting so much thought into the decal of the ray gun, and you could not help but think it to be humorous. 

Doctor Venture obviously looked bored of the two of them talking about the shrink ray gun decal, and he glanced over to you, seeing your hand over your mouth to hide your amusement. “If you don’t like the logo, it’s a decal,” he said in an exhausted tone, “you can just scratch it off. Now do you want it or are you just gonna skip on over to the shrink ray hut and pick up a cheaper one?” 

By this point, you couldn’t help it, and you ended up letting yourself laugh at the three of them, causing Doctor Venture to turn his attention once more. “And I see the beautiful woman is still hanging around you two freaks. Y/N, it was?” he continued, once he allowed himself to let a smile across his face. 

“Your sarcasm, though a laugh riot, is not making this choice any easier,” Billy said simply. 

White switched hands of his umbrella quickly as he realized what Doctor Venture had said, and he took a moment to wrap his free arm around your waist, practically making you stumble as he pulled you close to his side. “She's been sticking around because she's, you know, my girlfriend,” White said with a sly smile on his face. 

Seeing exactly what he was doing, and not wanting to deal with another idiot hitting on you at this forsaken tag sale, you played along. “Why, yes, since you last saw us,” you said with a brimming smile, though your face did betray you by allowing blush to rise at the feeling of White’s arm around your waist. You leaned your head gently against him, and you swore Doctor Venture was going to throw up at so little display of affection. 

“How much are you paying her?” Doctor Venture said in the most serious face to White, causing you to roll your eyes. 

“He doesn’t have to pay her,” Billy chimed in, “She’s actually rich.” 

Doctor Venture was suddenly even more intrigued by hearing you were a woman of wealth and with that, he did not have a wondrous poker face. "Rich, huh?" He said with a chuckle, trying to act as if he did not care about money. "So you boys keep her around as your bank account. How charming, and yet a beautiful woman as that should be treated as a queen." 

You rolled your eyes, getting tired of Doctor Venture's play, and were about to say something before Pete had cut you off. "I obviously keep this breath-taking girl around because, you know, she's rich," he said, his lips dripping with sarcasm. "Not because she's kind, caring, talented, or that she makes me happy. I'm just  _ all _ in it for the money." 

"Oh, dear, you truly make me blush," you said softly, obviously playing the part, and yet your cheeks were truly brimming with blush. 

"And you two make me sick," Doctor Venture muttered under his breath in a condescending tone. 

“Alright, boys, task at hand,” you said, trying to get everyone’s focus back on the damn shrink ray instead of you. You leaned up and kissed White on the cheek to make it seem a little more real before they finally started talking about the ray gun. 

“Well, if you don’t get it, then I’m gonna get it,” White said quickly to Billy. “I’ll let you borrow it.”

“No way,” Billy retorted back. “You’re a total indian giver. Come on, justs loan me like 50 Grand.” 

“Alright, you two, you snooze, you lose,” Doctor Venture said in an aggravated tone, finally done with listening to their back and forth. “Nobody gets the shrink ray now.”

“Nice,” Billy said to White, causing you to just roll your eyes at the two of them. 

The two of them ended up looking around some more together, looking at little picture frames and things of that nature. By this point, you followed along with them, especially since, when White decided to go from holding you by the waist to taking your hand, neither of you seemed to break it off after you walked away from Doctor Venture. 

The outside was already starting to get a little chaotic, as Monarch had started some trouble with a rock or something that he projectiled into Underbheit, whom had assumed it was the guy next to him. Super villains and the occasional civilian were fighting and being chaotic, while shockingly everything seemed to miss your area. Eventually the boys had finally ended up getting the last of what they wanted and decided to leave, circling back to get the shrink ray anyhow. 

While the three of you were walking to your car, Billy finally spoken up. “You guys are still holding hands,” he said in a teasing manner. The two of you both glanced at your hands, then at each other, before a little bit of blush rose in both of your cheeks. Hastily, one of you let go of the other’s hand, and it was hard to even tell who. 

“I may have forgotten,” you said sheepishly as the three of you reached the car, you trailing your fingertips gently across the metal of the hood before making your way into the driver’s seat. “By the way, I do appreciate it. After Phantom Ass and then the death threat from Y/E/N, I was starting to think I had a sign on my back that said to piss me off.” 

White and Billy both chuckled at your statement, but realization quickly set in after a minute of silence. "Wait, death threat- you have an arch enemy?" Billy asked with shock. 

You bit your lip uncomfortably, before nodding. Your hands tightened on the steering wheel as you drove, and you said, "You guys obviously remember how someone messed up the transfusion." 

"That was in your universe, though, where you died," Billy replied. 

White added in, "I don't see how that would have anything to do with an arch here." 

"Well, my daughter's father was a doctor," you said in barely above a whisper. "He hates me for not caring, for leaving, etc. His revenge was allowing me to die slowly and painfully." You let out a shuddering breath as you were thankful to park, before you continued. "Whoever brought me here and revived me, brought him here as well." 

“Lucky!” Billy complained, causing you to give him a knitted-brow look. “I mean about having an arch enemy, not the dying part.”

“Not cool, man,” White said quickly, trying to get Billy to stop what he was saying while he was ahead. 

You simply shrugged, your knuckles practically white from the grip you had on the steering wheel. “It just changes the equation up a little,” you muttered out, your mind reeling with ‘what if’s’ pertaining to your life to come. This time, you would not allow Y/E/N best you.


	10. IX

When you had learned about having an arch enemy, you had started training in your free time, getting yourself relatively fighting ready if there was anything to threaten any of you. Since you knew that White and Billy were both not very fight savvy, you wanted to be able to protect them as well. In less than two weeks, you learned how to properly shoot your gun, as well as been training to keep the knowledge you had from your old life of typical self defense skills. 

"Where have ya been?" You could hear the albino man call out behind you as you were doing push ups, focusing upon your nightly workout. It was already mostly dark out, so he did not need to have the umbrella in his hands as he walked around outside. Once you got to fifty, you popped up from your arms to your feet, turning around to face his soft red eyes. 

"What, you miss me?" You teased with a chuckle, giving him a half smile. "I got all my work done earlier, cleaned, and now I'm just training." 

"You're working yourself too hard, you know," White said, his voice with a small trace of concern woven through his words. 

You allowed your lips to curl into a frown, your arms crossed as you stared at the handsome albino man. “I already died once,” you said, barely above a whisper, “I don’t want to go through something like that again, or worse-” You stopped yourself from what you were saying, your eyes glancing down at the ground as you bite your lip gently. 

“Worse?” he pressed in a soft voice, walking closer to you. 

Your gaze shifted back to his red stare and you felt your heart sink down into your stomach as you thought of how to answer it. In actuality, you cared about both of the boys, but if anyone had seen you with Pete White near the end of the tag sale, Y/E/N would know your vulnerability. Though the two of you were simply pretending, you had been growing some deep feelings for White, and you were so terrified, especially knowing the threat ahead. 

Sucking in a deep breath, you said, “Him going after someone I care about.” You glanced back down to the ground, trying to steady your breath. “He purposely gave me Creutzfeldt-Jakob’s Disease. Suffering was his thing before the whole villain angle was even plausible.”

“Hey, hey, ah jeez,” he said quickly, placing a slender hand upon your shoulder in comfort. “You’re worried about us? We always seem to get out of everything. I mean, Billy gets kidnapped every few weeks. Those guys have codes anyways.”

“Pete,” you said seriously, your gaze meeting his own. You could feel tears trying to drop from your eyes that you managed to hold back as you stared into his red eyes. “I’m scared of him. Just let me protect you.”

“Don’t kill yourself doing it either,” Pete said, his tone surprisingly serious as well. “Come inside, shower, and rest. It’s late.”

You sighed before nodding, following White inside. Almost as soon as you had gotten in, you ran the water for your shower, turning on your music lightly so it would not bother either of them. Softly, you sang along with the music, not knowing that you did have someone listening in. Not that he would have announced his presence, but he listened to you sing Love Like You from a show that you used to watch with your daughter, Steven Universe. As you were singing, you were thinking about everything that had happened since you were brought to this dimension. You thought about how everything would have been calmer, much less complicated without Y/E/N around. 

Part of you had wondered if it was a terrible thing that you were close to the two boys, especially your feelings towards White. It terrified you that he could get hurt because of you, and in the situation you were in now, you knew Y/E/N would use him against you if he could find any way to do so. You were not completely caught up in all the bylaws for super villains, but you were sure that he would find a way. 

While Pete listened to you singing, he could not help but smile. He was entranced by your singing, and when Billy was walking to the kitchen, he caught his eye on the albino standing next to the bathroom listening to you. He could not help but chuckle at the antics of his friend. 

“You know, you could just tell her how you feel,” Billy said to White, giving him a slight smirk. 

White put a finger over his lips to motion for Billy to be quiet as his red eyes narrowed upon him. Graciously, he walked away from the bathroom, over to his friend. “I thought you were on that whole ‘gay albino’ view,” Pete snarked at his friend in a quiet tone as to not have you overhear. 

“Normally I would be, White, but I can see it from both of you,” Billy said in an exhausted tone. “You two are driving me nuts. Someone needs to make a fucking move.”

White rolled his eyes at his friend, but his lips fell into a frown. “She’s stressed out as is,” he replied somewhat morosely. “I don’t want to give her something else to worry about right now.”

“She’s probably worried that you  _ don’t  _ feel the same,” he pointed out. “I swear she’s as oblivious as you are.”

You finished up in your shower, grabbing your towel and drying yourself off. Putting on your clothes, you turned off your music, shoving the device in your pocket before exiting the bathroom. Four eyes snapped over to you almost immediately after you got out of the bathroom, practically giving you a heart attack. When you saw that they were accompanied by Billy’s gentle smile, you shrugged off the initial anxious feeling, giving the boys a soft smile. “I’m shocked to see you both still up,” you said with a shrug, sitting next to White on the end of the couch. 

“I was going to watch some House before bed,” White said, trying to act casual. “If you’re still gonna be up, ya can join me.”

“I was just heading to bed myself,” Billy said slyly, giving you both a smile before heading off to his room. 

You glanced suspiciously at Pete, before shrugging. “If you don’t mind, sure,” you said with a soft smile, fighting the blush that was trying to form upon your face. When he got up, he practically dragged you to his room by the arm, making your heart skip a beat. He grabbed the remote from his bed stand, motioning for you to climb on the bed yourself. 

By this point, you really had to fight the blush that was trying with a vengeance to form upon your cheeks, seeing as the whole room smelled of his cologne and he was specifically telling you to get on his bed. You sheepishly did so and he flicked on the television, going to the correct channel that House was playing on. 

The two of you watched silently for the most part, so focused that you had barely noticed how close the two of you were lying together. There was a marathon going on, and you had fought off sleep for a while, before beginning to doze off. When you had been falling asleep, White noticed out of the corner of his eye and scooched a little closer to you, where your head began resting upon his shoulder as you were falling asleep. 

He blushed at the sudden contact, though he also relished in it. With the comfort of you falling asleep on his shoulder, you had somehow managed to move to his chest in your sleep and he unconsciously wrapped his arm around you as he was sleeping. It was a good thing that the television had a time out function on it, after a while turning off by itself. 


	11. X

As you wake from your slumber, your eyes fluttered open to see a completely asleep Pete White. Since you were not sure where you stood with him, and you were much too shy to screw up your friendship, you thought of how you could get up without waking him. He looked like he was a heavy sleeper, after all, but you still used stealth to slip out of his slender, warm arms. 

Once you had managed to slip out, you quietly opened and closed the door, sneaking quietly until you grabbed your cup to pour some coffee into it. You had not meant to fall asleep in Pete's bed, though you could not say that you did not savor it. Part of you had wished that you stayed in those inviting, comforting arms, and yet you could not wrap your head around the idea of telling him how you felt. 

Grabbing your now full coffee cup, you made your way outside with your music. You had an editing piece you would be taking care of later in the day, but since it was only 7am, you decided to take care of some early morning training. You started off with a basic workout, taking sips of your coffee in between sets. 

After a while of getting into your training session as well as your music, you started moving to the music as you practiced hand to hand combat. The more you seemed to care about the two men, the more you would pour into training. There was no doubt that you felt strong feelings towards White, and it scared you so much that he could possibly get kidnapped or hurt because of your arch. 

"You're training early," you heard the familiar voice of the shorter roommate of yours say as he walked over to you. 

You stopped what you were doing, grabbing another sip of your coffee before nodding over to him. "I thought it would be better to get some in before it started getting too warm out," you said with a soft smile. "You just get up?" 

"Indeed, after having a very peculiar dream about surgery," he said with an unsure look upon his face. "I was kidnapped once again for it." 

"I think Pete mentioned before that you get kidnapped often for illegal surgeries," you said with a soft laugh. "Maybe people should just start asking you." 

He sighed, saying, "They never seem to, though I don't see how so many villains know me." 

You shrugged, saying, "Maybe it's a compliment in a sense. Still sounds troublesome, though." 

"Anywho, speaking of White," Billy said slyly, "How was sleeping with him?" 

Your jaw practically dropped to the ground as you just gaped at him for a moment. "I fell asleep watching House with him," you corrected, trying to straighten yourself out as you were feeling blush on your face. "Nothing else happened."

"God, why are you two so dense?" Billy said with an exasperated sigh. "You two are so into each other, and yet it's like you two avoid it like middle schoolers!" 

"You're hilarious," you said sarcastically, brushing it off. "I do need to get in to get my editing piece done, though."

Billy sighed in aggravation as he watched you walking away, before going back to his normal morning spot to finish up his coffee. You went inside, running through a quick shower before you got on your computer to work on your editing piece. Pete ended up waking up around 10, walking groggily to get himself a cup of coffee. 

You glanced up from your computer, giving him a smile. "Morning," you said before glancing back down to your laptop. 

"God do you even know how to rest?" He said with an eye roll, seeing that you were already working. He grabbed himself a cup of coffee and sat beside you on the couch, leaning against you as he sipped his coffee. Since it did not hinder your editing skills, you did not mind it. For that matter, you rather enjoyed the extra warmth. 

"I'm working on the whole resting thing," you replied with a soft chuckle. You unconsciously leaned back against him, cuddling into the warmth as you finish up your work and sending it out. While your eyes were focused on the screen, you did not notice the tired red eyes that spared a longing glance over at you, nor the smile that tugged upon his lips. 

"You better not even think about moving already," he murmured out in a teasing voice as he had seen that you were already done with your piece. 

You rolled your eyes, saying, "I have more that I can work on if you don't want to lose your pillow." 

He took the opportunity to lean even more onto you before taking another sip of his coffee. "Or you could take some time doing absolutely nothing like a pillow does," he suggested teasingly. 

Setting your laptop at your side, you relaxed into his warmth, allowing yourself to be his pillow. "Only because you asked nicely," you snarked back with a smile on your face. 

The two of you stayed like that for a while, him leaning against you as the two of you sat. Slowly, you both sipped your coffee, occasionally alternating stealing longing glances from one another. Despite the two of you, in a sense, knowing how the two of you felt, both of you were having issues vocalizing it. 

It was only a matter of time before the two of you had caught one another staring at the same time. Your y/e/c eyes locked with his red eyes, and it was almost impossible for you to avert your eyes, though everything in your mind was telling you to do so. 


	12. XI

The first time that you ended up having the trailer to yourself was treated like a normal day. You had simply done your work, replenishing any spent money, and ended up cleaning for the majority of the day. It was an off day for training, so you decided that you would do some reading to catch up on your old studies. Living with two scientists, you had to admit that occasionally they made you feel rather inadequate. 

Of course, you had a large savings as well as newly acquired fighting skills, but when they began talking about their scientific ideas, you always felt you were falling short. It had been years since you went to college, since you had to drop out when you had your daughter. It was too hard for you to balance your new, adorable kid and school, after all. 

You dove into some scientific articles that intrigued you, going through each thoroughly. As you were doing so, you barely heard the door open and shut. Assuming that one of the boys had gotten back early, you shrugged off the idea, cuddling up closer with your computer as you read. 

That was until you heard an almost booming chuckle from an all too familiar voice. "Studying?" Y/E/N said in a mocking tone, the smirk apparent in his voice alone. "Why bother?" 

You glanced up to the man, quickly placing your laptop down and grabbing your knife that you had hidden in the couch. "What the hell are you doing here?" You growled out in a low tone, arming yourself while your eyes glared the man down. 

"Simply checking in," he said maniacally as his lips curled into more of a smirk. "There's no need for the knife, though it just proves my point, darling." 

You kept the knife tightly in your hand as you asked, "What would your point be, Y/E/N? Because you plan on killing me?" 

"Oh, well that would be another good point," he said with a sinister chuckle. "My actual point was that you're not intelligent enough to get your degree. You're just a dropout." 

"I was one semester away from my doctorate," you said, narrowing your eyes at him. "How would I not be smart enough?" 

"Darling, I know you," he said, walking closer to you slowly. "You're a failure. You dropped out of college and started your  _ business _ as a little slut. You wouldn't have even gotten as far as you did with your degrees if it weren't for me. Don't you get it, Y/N? I. Made. You." 

You gripped your knife tighter as he got closer, your heart beating wildly out of anger and fear. He would always talk down on you when you were together, but now that you have already opened your eyes, knowing who he truly was, it burned you so badly. Shockingly, it did not make you want to slice him into bits, though. It made you want to prove him wrong. 

"What are you going to do, get your little scientist boy toy and his muppet sidekick to get you through the rest?" He said right in your face, his breath hot upon your lips. 

You stepped back, almost falling back on the couch as you did so, before screaming, "No, Y/E/N, and you know what? Soon you'll be calling me Doctor, no supposed help. No one will know about it until I'm fully graduated." You had not planned on finishing your credits, and simply wanted to refresh yourself on the knowledge that you had prior. The words simply slipped out of your mouth in anger, seething. 

"Doctor Y/N, huh?" He said with a sinister laugh. "Stick to your word, no help, and I would adore watching you fail. That would be the ultimate arching - showing you how much of a failure you really are." 

"I will prove you wrong, you asshole," you spat through gritted teeth. 

"Sure you will," he said sarcastically, turning about face and walking right out. 

You stood in shock for a total of 5 minutes, waiting for the door to open back up, guns blazing. Your knife was still tightly gripped in your hand as you stared, until you realized what you had done. The bet you had made would keep you safe for the most part, but you would need to enroll in an online school to finish your degree. 

Part of you wondered if your credits would still be intact, as you had earned them in a completely different dimension. Setting your knife back down carefully, you brought your computer back up and began researching. 


	13. XII

Finding yourself at the Venture Compound, you ended up armed with your gun and hand to hand combat skills, fighting against your own arch enemy and the Monarch at the same time. It was a little overkill for your arch enemy to have so many henchmen at his disposal, where you were a singular person. Billy and Pete were hidden inside the panic room with the Venture boys and Doctor Venture, much to your relief. 

You took the opposite side as Brock Samson, fighting off goons left and right. Now you were definitely happy that you had opted to learn how to use your odd gun that you had purchased at the tag sale, and were armed with a knife that Brock was kind enough to lend. Between cutting Monarch's henchmen and Y/E/N's henchmen, the only difference that you were even seeing by this point was the fact that Y/E/N's henchmen did not have yellow in their color pattern. 

Blood was splattered everywhere, but your adrenaline on high was keeping you going. More than a few times, Brock Sampson had saved your ass, but once or twice you had managed to get his back as well. The two of you were admittedly making a good team, though his strength outranked you in every way. Your only advantages included agility and the fact that you would use a gun. 

"You may have won this time, but the next you won't be nearly as lucky, my darling," you heard Y/E/N's booming voice ring out on his intercom, agitation clear in his voice. The Monarch had said something similar to the same, practically at the same time, about Doctor Venture. 

You glanced to Brock and he gave you a reassuring smirk as he glanced back at you. "First massacre?" He joked to you, pointing to the fact that you were practically soaked in blood. 

You chuckled back at him, saying, "First time killing." 

"Uh, you're one good rookie," he said, a little shocked and stretching out the 'uh' as he spoke. 

"Thank you, and I appreciate you saving my ass," you said sheepishly, the two of you walking back to the compounds as the flying ships were finally fully departed. Part of you had admittedly relished in getting your stress out on all those henchmen, though if anyone was taking credit for those kills, it would be Brock. You wiped his blade off on a cleaner part of your pants before attempting to hand it back to him. 

He held his palm out vertically and shook his head. "You keep it," he said kindly in his deep voice. "How did you even get an arch enemy like that?" 

Your lips curled into a frown before you said, "That's the man that killed me in the other world. My daughter's father." 

"Ohh," he said in an awkward tone. "Ex's are a pain."

You chuckled, "Indeed." 

The two of you walked through the Venture Compound after Brock had already let Doctor Venture know that everything was safe. You were bleeding a little bit from some slashes on your shoulder, but you could not wait to just get cleaned up and out of the bloody clothes. They were torn to shreds as is with how many henchmen the two of you had to fight off as a two person team. Looking at Brock, it looked like he just stood back and watched with a little bit of blood dabbed on him in the end compared to the mess you were. 

As you were coming down from your adrenaline high, you were getting a little dizzy, but you tried to fight it as much as you could. Your adorable albino and your shorter friend greeted you with concerned looks. 

"Did you throw yourself through a fucking shredder?" Pete asked in a sarcastic tone, though his eyes showed genuine concern. 

You fought off the spinning feeling in your head, giving him a soft, reassuring smile. "Respectively, yes," you said with sarcasm dripping from your words. "Most of the blood isn't mine." 

"Your girlfriend is a real killer," Brock praised, giving White a hard pat on the back, practically causing him to cringe. "But she should probably dress her shoulder and lie down." 

"She's not- well, I mean, kinda?" Pete said, almost debating the phrase girlfriend. Neither of you had used the term officially as anything that was not to scare guys off, though the two of you had been for the most part acting as a couple for the last month. Since the two of you woke up in one another's arms, you were awkwardly stealing glances, and things felt different. 

"How hurt is she?" Billy asked Brock, getting Pete's attention as his red eyes glanced over at the large man, anxiously awaiting an answer. 

Brock pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out an aggravated sigh. "She said she never killed anyone before," Brock clarified, "and we just slaughtered Monarch and whatever her arch enemy is henchmen. White should be the one driving you three back, and she may pass out." 

"I'm still conscious," you murmured in response, though the world was still spinning. "But, Pete, you have my keys. If you can drive us back, that would be swell. My vision is a typhoon." 

They said their quick goodbyes, and for the first time, you had sat in the backseat of your vehicle, on top of a tarp that Brock had thrown at Billy to carry. You fought yourself to stay completely conscious, though you could feel the effects of slaughtering all those people mixed with your own blood loss. The only thing that was keeping you conscious by this point was the fact that you knew you would have to clean up the blood and burn everything you were wearing. 

Once the three of you got back, you made your way to the far back to burn your garments. Thankfully, being in the middle of the desert area of the Venture Compound, it was not like you ever got people passing by. Burning everything had not taken too long, and you ended up walking back completely nude, your new knife in hand. "Someone open the door, and both of you avert your eyes," you instructed in a kind, pleading tone as the cooler night air nipped at your nude, blood covered body. 

"Its not like neither of us have seen boobies before," Billy said as both of them were thankfully with their eyes covered as you walked in. 

Walking into the bathroom, you opted not to touch the knob, simply touching the shower knobs as you turned the water on. "If I pass out, just slap me or something," you say as you allowed the water to cascade over your body. "That is the only circumstance, though." 

It had taken you a while to fully wash the blood off of you, despite the painful open wounds on your shoulder that were still seeming to bleed a bit. You dried off and wrapped a towel around you tightly before stepping out of the bathroom. Realizing that Pete and Billy were still averting their eyes from you, you ended up clearing your throat to get their attention. 

"We have, like, a bandaid or something?" You asked with a raised eyebrow, before both men stared at you like you were crazy. "Okay, I'll just-" 

"You need stitches," Billy chimed in, before running off to the other room to get the stitching equipment. Thankfully for something simple like that, he did not need any sort of fancy lab to clean and stitch your wound. 

Billy retrieved his stitching kit, quickly getting to work. "Ya should of said it was bad," Pete chimed in as he watched Billy stitch at your wound. The more that he stitched into your body without numbing it, the more you felt like screaming. You were biting hard down on your bottom lip as he stitched through, and thankfully after 6 he had finished. 

Pete practically dragged you to his bed to lie you down, as he had seen how unstable you looked. You had barely been conscious by the point that he ended up dragging you there, and he stared down upon you, a small frown showing upon his lips. “Get some sleep,” he said sternly, though if you were more conscious than you were, you may have detected the caring laced into each word. 

“Thank you,” you murmured weakly. Between the pain coursing through your shoulder and the images that would not leave your mind, bodies piling up, you felt horrible. In the same sense, as you were watching Pete turn around to walk out of his room, you realized that you did not wish to be alone. With your good arm, you reached out and caught his hand gently, stopping him. “Will you stay, please?”

A half smile tugged his lips upward as he glanced back at you, his red eyes locked with your own hazed ones. He stripped himself of his overshirt and pants before crawling in beside you, only his boxers covering him. You may have made a witty comment if your head was not pounding, but once you felt his warmth beside you, you unconsciously cuddled closer. “Are you actually alright?’ he whispered softly to you, his red eyes glancing back over to you. 

“I killed a pile of living, breathing humans, just because they decided to follow the person that wants me dead,” you said weakly, your eyes closed as you lied against his bare shoulder. “So, no. Hell, half the people I killed were after your friend, not me.”

“Why didn’t you just let Brock do it?” he whispered back. “I doubt he needed backup.”

You frowned a bit as you said, “Because I was protecting something I care about.”

Shortly after you had said it, you drifted off to slumber on his shoulder. He readjusted to make you more comfortable, moving you onto his chest and wrapping his arm around you. For a while, he could not get to sleep himself, merely gazing down at your sleeping form. 

As he laid beside you, he could not help feeling something tightening in his chest. Gripping you strong, yet gentle, he couldn't help but think about what you had said before you drifted off to slumber. _ I was protecting something I care about, _ echoed through his mind. _ Could she mean us, or mean me? _He had done countless strange things for Billy Quizboy years back, and he was a brother to him. In that same sense, he never killed for him. Part of him did not think he could actually kill someone. 

Silence filled the room as the only sound was the gentle rhythm of synchronized breathing. As he held you, he focused upon the warmth of your body against him, and the way that you felt in his arms. Though he did like to stretch the truth about his encounters with women, he had never truly had a woman lie like this with him. He never had a woman make him feel so right with his arms around her. The way that all of the cuddly behavior had started was the fact that there was a beautiful woman living in the trailer, and you never seemed to mind his flirtatious mannerisms. It was not even truly flirtatious as much as comforting anyhow. You always seemed so willing to allow his arms to hold you. There was something about you that practically immediately trusted the man. 

He did admit to Billy some time ago that he had feelings for you. After all, the smaller man knew him for practically twenty years. If anyone was going to see a change in Pete White’s behavior, Billy Quizboy would be the first to see it. The first time he laid eyes upon you, he kept his gaze fixated for a little longer than he ever would with anyone else. Now as months had passed, he was only noticing his behavior more and more. 


	14. XIII

In the morning you woke to something warm surrounding you, fluttering your eyes open to see the handsome albino soundly sleeping underneath you. You could not help but allow your face to fill with blush as you realized you had spent the night in his arms. It had felt so right to you that part of you did not even want to get up to go do your morning routine just yet. 

You made sure not to move as he was still sleeping, enjoying the warmth of his arms and pretending to continue to sleep. With your eyes closed, you listened to his steady heartbeat in his chest, cuddled close against him. It did not take you long for him to wake up as well, feeling him start to stir under you. 

"Morning," you murmured softly to him as you moved to get up, to allow him to get up himself. 

As you started to get up, you felt strong slender arms bringing you back down. "Morning, Y/N," he said in his groggy morning voice as he held you close to him. Your face heated up once again with a blush as you felt him holding you closer, almost like a cuddly constrictor. 

You glanced up at is red eyes, noticing the soft gaze he had upon you, along with a soft bit of blush upon his face. His lips were curled into a sweet smile, while his hair was a little messy from just waking up. Staring directly in his eyes, you did not even realize you were doing it until you leaned in and closed the gap between the two of you, pressing your lips against his own. 

It was slow and passionate, lips moving in sync with one another as the two of you tasted one another for the first time. He gripped you as tight as he could, and the two of you kissed for as long as either of your morning lungs could take it, before separating, his forehead leaning against your own. 

The two of you would have continued lying together, kissing and enjoying each other's arms wordlessly, even shyly if you had not heard Billy's voice ring out, "Finally!" 

"Oh jeez," Pete whispered before chuckling softly. "Guess someone realized I stayed in here.”

"Apparently," you said giggling as well. "I also admittedly didn't expect it either." 

"What?" White said in his sarcastic, groggy tone. "Why not?" 

You rolled your eyes before pulling him into another kiss, moving your lips in sync once more, to get another taste before the two of you would need to get out of bed. Surprisingly, you did not even mind his morning breath as you kissed, just simply relishing in the taste of one another until you needed to breathe once more. 

"Because I honestly couldn't tell if you felt the same," you say as you were catching your breath, smiling softly at him. The two of you separated from your entanglement, knowing that you could not just continue lying in bed now that Billy was already awake. 

He chuckled softly at your comment before standing beside you. The two of you ended up straightening yourselves out, you asking as he was laughing, "What's so funny?" 

"I drop hints like all over the fucking place," he snarked with a smirk, blush still dusting his face. "But Billy was just saying for a while that we're both oblivious." 

"Unfortunately enough, he's not wrong," you said while laughing. "And we aren't going to hear the end of it." 

"You're telling me," Pete said, wrapping an arm around your waist. "Now let's get out there before he thinks we're fucking." 


	15. XIV

The first day that Pete White left with the Ventures and Brock Sampson to go to an old college friend's funeral, you had been outside training. Billy was inside cleaning, and you needed some fresh air. You wanted to improve in case Y/E/N tried something again, and your best bet was simply by training. 

What you had not expected was a chloroform cloth to your mouth from out of nowhere, nor the man who had taken you away. Billy was blissfully unaware in the house as your limp body was taken by men in uniform. Pete would have never known either, simply thinking when he returned that you had simply left. 

That was, at least, what you were thinking as you came to, your body fully tied down to a metal operating table. What surrounded you did not remind you entirely of a doctor's office, though maybe of an odd hospital setting. Hoarsely, you muttered out, "Where the fuck am I?" 

The room had looked empty, and you had fought at the restraints that tied you. With no explanation, you had presumed that your arch enemy had decided to kidnap you. Fighting with all your will, you loosened the restraints upon your wrists just enough to slip out of them. Once you did, you saw that the door that was previously closed had opened. Stealthily, you made your way out of the room, completely unarmed as you snuck through. 

People seemed to come out of the woodwork, and each, as they did, you had to disarm. The first one that you disarmed, you ended up taking their pistol for the next, and the next afterwards. You spared no one as you trailed onward, just wanting to get out of this hellhole that you had woken up in. Part of you wished you could just go home to Pete, but it was doubtful that he was even home yet. 

After the sixth person that you had gunned down, the seventh put up a little more of a fight. You managed to wrap his arm around his back, gun pointed directly at his head. In an almost sickening voice, you asked, "Where the fuck am I?" 

"Don't shoot!" He said, a small bit of panic in his tone. "This was a test, and you passed." 

In this moment, you were confused and a little shocked at the man's words. Spinning him around, you pinned him so you could see his face. It was an elderly gentleman, but he clearly wore an OSI logo upon his collar. The man looked like he was a war veteran, and you had likely not been far off. 

"What did I pass?" You said with your brows knit, gaze fixated upon the man. "Why was  _ I  _ tested?" 

"You can thank your buddy Brock Sampson," he said in an authoritative tone. "You officially have your license to kill, and if your OSI needs you, you will know, Y/N." 

You were floored by the man's words, but allowed the man to be freed from your grasp, him giving you a thankful smile as you did. Light flooded the room that the two of you stood, showing a mess of OSI troops saluting around you. The man that you had just been pinning against the wall, you turned to salute. 

For the remainder of the day, you had stayed at OSI headquarters, learning about the weapons that you were issued, and getting the speech of don't ask, don't tell. They had brought you on as someone to serve under Brock Sampson in the off-chance that he needed any help, but you had also been introduced to men like Hunter and Shore Leave. They were not particularly warm welcoming, though they had respected that Brock Sampson believed in you enough to get you on board. 

Luckily, you had also been paid for the time that you were there for. It was like having a secret job that you were simply on call for, and with all the times that Billy and Pete were not home, you didn't mind. For that matter, it gave you another little something to do, and replaced the need to constantly train. 

When you had gotten back from the OSI, they had made you walk a good half mile home from where they had dropped you. You were to only carry your assigned pistol as concealed as you could, and the bag that you had with the other goodies was meant for missions. Getting back to the trailer, you saw a note on the fridge that had said Billy was kidnapped once more for medical assistance, causing you to frown. 

It seemed that you would have the trailer to yourself for at least another few days. Luckily, that had meant that you could catch up on more than a few things that you had slacked on while you were with the OSI. 


	16. XV

"Conjectural Technologies, secretary speaking," you said in a bubbly tone, holding the phone up to your ear as you leaned onto the couch. "How can we make your tomorrow better?" 

"Do they even pay you?" You could hear Doctor Venture say on the other line, causing you to let out a soft sigh. 

Pinching the bridge of your nose in aggravation, you answered him, saying, "Let's just call it an internship. What do we owe the pleasure of your call?" 

"Do you even realize that you're missing one of your freaks?" He said in an exhausted tone, causing you to frown. 

"Not missing any freaks, but I am missing both of my living companions, yes," you said in a hesitant tone, trying to remember what either of them said they were going to go do. From what you knew, Pete went to a funeral, while Billy got kidnapped for another illegal surgery. It had been quite quiet without the two of them, but you had been getting a lot more done within the time that they had been gone. 

"You're missing both of them?!" He practically screamed into the phone. "Why do you seem so calm?" 

You chuckled softly, saying, "I have already called on day two that both were gone and Y/E/N didn't kidnap anyone. No one really harms Billy after he performs whatever surgery they contact him for, and Pete was with you and Brock and the boys. I've been keeping busy." 

"Well, we almost got fucking killed," Doctor Venture countered, causing you to stand up straight, concern filling you. 

"I swear to hell if he's hurt," you practically growled. 

Doctor Venture started laughing, before saying, "Well, we almost left him chained to Underbheit, but Brock reminded us that you're kind of, well, violent." 

"So where the fuck is he?" You said, patience wearing thin as you gripped the phone tightly. If he had seen the glare through the phone that you were giving, it was likely that he would have just died right where he was standing. You had been through a lot in the past week or so that he had been gone, but if you knew that there would have been complications, you would have went with. 

"See, now that's the voice I was expecting," he teased, the smirk that he had on his face clear in his voice. "Come pick your albino up at the compound."

"God, you sound worse than my arch," you said with a sigh. "Heading over now." You rolled your eyes before slamming the phone down. Grabbing your keys, you quickly got into the car, driving out to the Venture Compound. Part of you did not understand why the hell Pete put his college friend at such a high standing. He treated him like shit, after all. 

***

“Well, isn’t your girlfriend such a peach,” Doctor Venture said with an eye roll, letting out an annoyed huff from his lips as he stood with Pete White, Brock Sampson, and his two boys.

“Come on, Rust,” Pete said with a chuckle. “She’s just worried.”

“She didn’t have to swear at me so much,” he countered hastily, crossing his arms in agitation. 

Pete could not help but allow his lips to curl into a smile. “Maybe if you didn’t call her violent, she would have been nicer,” he said shrugging. 

“I highly doubt that,” Doctor Venture replied. “Though feisty women  _ are _ hot.” 

Brock interrupted, saying, “No one almost got killed. Saying that is just asking for trouble.”

"You guys almost left me chained to  _ your _ arch enemy," Pete complained with a frown. 

" _ Almost, _ " Brock stressed, glancing over at him. 

  
  


***

Once you have arrived at the compound, you were stopped at the gate, dialing yourself in. "I'm here," you said in a somewhat aggravated tone. 

"Venture Residence, who is it?" Doctor Venture teased on the other side of the intercom. 

"Don't be a dick, you know it's Y/N," you said in a deadpan tone, thankful to watch the gate slowly opening in front of your car. 

You drove in and parked, walking in with aggravation washing over you. Logically, you would expect them to be up front if they wanted you to pick him up right away, and yet you were going through an aggravating game of hide and seek. The first place you checked was the lab, and you were happy to have your eyes land on the tall albino man. 

Calmness rushed over you as you saw that he wasn't harmed, though part of you definitely still wanted to punch Doctor Venture in the face. Next to him stood Doctor Venture and Brock, along with the two Venture children. You let out a soft sigh, walking over to them. 

"So, how the hell did you guys almost get killed?" You said in an exhausted tone. 

"He's exaggerating," Brock said in a gruff tone. "I had it." 

"You practically killed the rescue team," Hank reminded thoughtfully, causing Brock to frown. Between Dean and Hank, they had explained the whole situation, and how they called the Action Team to save their father, Brock, White, and even Underbheit. Apparently Brock had gotten his chain undone with Underbheit's jaw, freeing him and Doctor Venture, and that the assailant was a bunch of robots all along. 

Knitting your brows, you let out an aggravated sigh. "Alright, I'm going to say this once," you said in an exasperated tone. Turning to the boys, you placed a hand on each one's shoulders. "If  _ anything _ happens like this again, you boys need to call me." 

"We didn't know how to contact you," Dean admitted sheepishly, causing you to step back, rub your temples with one hand, before turning to their father. 

"Don't look at me," Doctor Venture said defensively. "I only know Conjectural Technologies number." 

You had to spend the next five minutes programming your mobile number into all four communicators. "There," you said with a small smile tugging upon your lips. 

"I don't think I've ever seen her this worked up," White said with a shrug, though a smile was tugging upon his lips as he stared at you with his soft red eyes. Walking over to him, you silently threw your arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. This took him by surprise, but he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you closer and resting his head on the top of yours. 

"Can we please just go home," you murmured softly into his chest. You may have been too stubborn to say it out loud, but you had been so absorbed with everything going on in the last week to ignore the fact that you missed the tall man. Since the two of you kissed for the first time, you had not really talked about where you stood, nor kissed since then. It was not entirely shyness, but he had gone off to the funeral shortly after. 

He kissed you softly on the head before the two of you separated. Saying goodbye to the Ventures, the two of you got into the car and drove back home, Billy coming back from his kidnapping less than a day later. Everything eventually went back to business as usual, much to your relief, though you had to go back to hiding your schooling from the boys now that they were both around you often, staying up late nights just to get papers done. On top of that, any time that the OSI had a mission for you, you would have to use your arch as an excuse for why you suddenly disappeared for a week on end. 


	17. XVI

There had been so many changes in such a little stretch of time, where there were now two elder Venture men, one being which Billy installed a robotic arm upon. The Venture boys were dead for a while as Doctor Thaddius Venture went off of his game, and later resurrected. Since the whole situation, none of you had really seen TS Venture. 

That was, of course, until you had heard rustling in the next room. You had just finished showering, and presumed that maybe the boys had gotten back early. White would often go through random stints that he would be tearing the house apart trying to find something anyhow. 

Your mouth fell agape when you walked out of the bathroom to find that there was a bald head searching through and making a mess of the living room. Realizing that he was too focused on what he was doing to notice you, you grabbed your knife. Quickly maneuvering behind him, you pulled him upward with your knife against his throat. "What the fuck?!" He practically screamed out. 

"Why are you 'what the fucking' me?" You spat back, growling in his ear. "You're the one that broke into our house." 

"No, no, you're thinking of Roger Lawn," Pete was saying absently to Billy as they were walking into the trailer. "Joe Rogan is the host of fear factor." You could hear his voice as you shifted, pressing the intruder against the trailer wall with your knife still at his neck. "Oh, are you kidding me? Our place is trashed. Wasn't Y/N looking after it, or is she even here?" 

"What?" Billy had exclaimed. "Holy cow, great news!" 

"Getting burglarized is great news?" Pete replied as shocked as you were. You had not even gotten the chance to check out the rest of the home yet, since you had seen the man as you were walking out of the bathroom. 

"Come on, White," Billy said excitedly. "This is clear evidence of an arson." 

"Ah, our own arch enemy," Pete replied thoughtfully. "We have arrived." 

"I'm gonna change into my quiz boy costume," Billy said.

"Or maybe it's Y/N's arch - what was his name?" Pete said after thinking for a minute.

"Y/E/N," Billy said, a little deflated. 

"Could you two call off your attack dog?" Doctor Venture said, glaring at you. 

"How many arch enemies do you even have, Y/N?" Pete said, a little disappointed to see Doctor Venture. You had been surprised yourself, and as you realized it was him, you scurried away. 

Folding your arms, you said, "I caught him wrecking the damn place and kind of didn't realize it was him." 

"You were looking right at me!" Doctor Venture countered gruffly. 

Doctor Venture took a seat on the broken couch, Billy pacing back and forth. You walked over to White and stood beside him as everyone was getting down to why Doctor Venture broke into the house. "I was training, and then went to shower," you defended. "If I knew about this earlier, I would have actually stopped him." 

"How don't you hear everything getting wrecked up?" White countered, causing you to roll your eyes. 

"When you guys are gone, I crank my music a little louder - sue me," you said with your lips pressed tightly. "At least he didn't break anything I couldn't replace." 

"This is industrial espionage," Billy said, still pacing. "You've come to steal our greatest ideas." Turning to Doctor Venture, he pointed with his robotic arm, continuing. "You've been foiled. We have none."

You rolled your eyes, suppressing a chuckle. It was true, you had not seen the two scientists churn out any sort of idea recently, though it was kind of sad to hear. "I'm glad I brought clothes into the bathroom for once," you murmured under your breath. 

"What the hell, Rust?" Pete said in an exasperated tone. "What kind of dick breaks into his friend's house?" 

"I need that shrink ray I sold you," Doctor Venture exclaimed. 

"And you couldn't have used a phone to ask?" You said, flabbergasted. 

"Yeah, don't call us and ask for it," Billy said sarcastically. "Just break into our home and steal it back." 

"I have an arch enemy, you know, Doctor Venture," you said with your arms crossed. "I could have killed you without realizing." 

"You almost did!" He exclaimed. "You had a knife to my throat!"

"And whose fault is that?" You muttered with a glare. You felt White pull an arm around your shoulder, calming you, and unconsciously leaned your head upon his shoulder as the two of you stood. Of course, you were still angry about it, but you knew not to say anything more about it. 

"I already apologized for that," Doctor Venture said exhaustedly. 

"No, you didn't!" Billy said in sync with the three of you. 

"When?" Pete said in sync with the two of you. 

"Far from," you groaned out at the same time as everyone else was speaking at Doctor Venture. 

"What's this all about, Rust?" Pete said, moving away from you and standing in front of Doctor Venture. You missed the warmth of his touch, but went to go clean up some things that were merely toppled over, knowing that you would be replacing more destroyed things later. 

"I bet that pompous loud mouth Orpheus that I could shrink better with science than he could with magic," he replied to Pete, deflated. 

Billy helped you out, picking a few things up as well as the two men talked. As Billy overheard Doctor Venture, he replied with, "Isn't that your friend? I mean, I've seen him mowing your lawn." 

"So you break into our trailer?" Pete said, still shocked by the whole situation. 

"Do you have it or not?" Doctor Venture replied hastily. 

Billy reached under a cabinet, picking out a greasy bag and bringing it over to the two. You had given up cleaning up the immense mess for now, standing up and joining them over near the broken couch. 

"What'd you do?" Doctor Venture asked as his eyes landed upon the bag. "Drive over it? Or did your attack dog use it wrong?"

You crossed your arms with a huff, saying, "I never touched the damned thing, thank you." 

"Don't look at me, or her," Billy said in a strained voice. "Ask captain kid over there." He pointed at Pete, and immediately you had remembered the somewhat humorous blunder with the shrink ray. 

"It didn't work," he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in a shrug, "so I thought maybe there was a treasure map or something stuck in it."

"What the-" Doctor Venture started, only to be cut off by Billy holding his metal arm out to him. 

"Don't bother," Billy said hastily. "I've been over this with him, like, 1,000 times. Y/N just kind of watched him do it." 

"I was working, thank you," you said, rolling your eyes. "Not like I was truly paying attention." 

"Well, you two have to help me fix it," Doctor Venture said quickly, taking a look into the forsaken bag. 

"Rusty, you broke into our house and trashed it," Pete said exasperated. "And freaked Y/N the hell out."

"Alright, fine," Doctor Venture said with his hands up in surrender. "I'll pay you." 

Both men had large smiles upon their faces as they heard that there would be payment involved. "That's all we needed to hear," Billy said excitedly. 

"And I get paid for lunches, you know," Pete chimed in. 

"Call me if you need anything," you said absently as you went to go find your computer. Since they would be gone, it was the perfect time for you to work on your thesis paper. 

"Actually, Y/N, would you mind driving?" Billy chimed in, stopping you in your tracks. 

You rolled your eyes, but shrugged, taking a quick look back at the boys. With those smiles on their faces, you just could not say no. "I'll go find my keys," you said with your own smile tugging upon your lips. On your search for your keys, you found your laptop in your bag as well, throwing that over your back in case you could actually get some work done at the Venture Compound. Unfortunately, you would not be able to work on your thesis until later that night, but at least something that the men were doing could maybe give you some inspiration. 

The boys followed quickly behind you, and to your dismay, you ended up driving Doctor Venture himself as well. You did not even want to ask why it was that he did not have a vehicle with him, and just drove him anyhow. 

When they got into the lab, you were going to end up setting yourself up far away from the others to give them space to work, before you were called over and given a pen and paper. You stared almost blankly at Doctor Venture, but took the pen in hand. "Everyone understands I don’t have a doctorate, right?" You clarified with a raised brow. 

"You won't need to be a scientist to participate," Doctor Venture stated with a smirk on his face. He gave a somewhat shallow question for the group, basically a celebrity fuck list as you had understood. You rolled your eyes as you glanced through your peripheral vision to see the boys looking ever so focused as they answered the question. 

Guilty pleasures was the game that all of you were playing, with a list of a top twenty. For your list, you presumed that the men would likely not know anyone you were putting on there, but you were not sure what coincided with your old world. You knew twenty offhand, some females while others males - all between 30 and 55 that were relevant for your list. It was a little embarrassing. 

"Ah-ha, I got it," Pete said, a smirk forming upon his face. "Why didn't I think of that before?" 

"I need more time," Billy said, seeming stressed. "There's too many variables." 

Okay, I'm done here," Doctor Venture said with his head resting in his hand. "Much more difficult than I expected." 

"I'm not sure how you boys would even struggle with this," you said with a shrug, setting your pen down with a soft smirk upon your face. 

"What do you guys have come up for, let's say, number two?" Doctor Venture said hesitantly, holding up his paper as he spoke and visually pointing to the number that he had been looking at. 

"Number two?" Pete said, before glancing at his paper once more. "Rhea Pearlman. What did you put down?" 

"Joyce Dewitt was number two," Doctor Venture said. "Number one--Bonnie Bedelia, meow." 

"Gwendolyn Christie," you said after with a shrug. 

All three boys glanced over at you with shocked eyes. "What way do you swing?" Doctor Venture said, his voice mixed with shock and deflation all at the same time. “I thought you were fucking White.”

Pete’s face flushed as he countered quickly, “I never said that we had.” 

"Both sides of the field," you said with a shrug. 

"Well, that's hot," Pete murmured under his breath, his face heating up a little with blush at the thought of the possibilities.

Billy chimed in, "Have you ever had both?" 

"That is for you all to never find out," you said simply, a smirk upon your face. 

"Give me that," Doctor Venture said, grabbing your list quickly. You could not help but allow your cheeks to fill with blush as the three of them looked over your list. "You're, what, late twenties?" 

"Yes, and what does that have to do with anything?" You said with a raised eyebrow. 

"Most of those guys are older than us!" Doctor Venture complained. 

You rolled your eyes. "Not all of them," you said uncomfortably. 

"Daddy issues much?" He said with a slight smirk. 

"Alright, Freud," you said with a chuckle. "What about Billy's list?" 

"I misunderstood the question," Billy said sheepishly, crumpling his paper. 

"No, no," Pete said with a large smile. "Give it here." He grabbed the paper right out from Billy's hands, beginning to read it. 

"No, I was confused," Billy said quickly, his hands holding his temples. "It was the wording, I'm serious. I didn't realize what you guys meant by guilty pleasures."

"Jeez, Billy," Pete started. "Oiled garbage bag? Sweat sock?" He could barely contain his amusement as he kept reading on. "Oh my God, number three-- melon heated in a microwave."

"That's very creative, Billy!" Doctor Venture exclaimed through a laugh. "I'm sure your mother is proud of you. Almost as proud as daddy issues's family over there." 

You almost felt bad for him, but with the whole daddy issues thing that Doctor Venture had already accused you of, you were not shocked to see the boys ragging on him as hard as they were. The one thing that you could not completely comprehend was what Billy could have possibly meant guilty pleasures to be otherwise, because all of the things on his list sounded like little secret fetishes. 

"Give me that, boy," Doctor Venture said excitedly, grabbing the list from Pete's hands. 

"Ha, ha, ha," Billy said sarcastically. "Hilarious. Okay, now let's get back to work. I think we've had enough fun here." 

"Oh, no, fun is number five," Doctor Venture said with a large smile. "Simply states, dustbuster with corner attachment." 

"That sounds dangerous," Pete said with an uncomfortable look on his face. 

"I didn't understand the question!" Billy practically shrieked, pounding his fists upon the table. 

You giggled a little bit, though you tried to suppress it as you went off to your corner to work, allowing the scientists to work on their shrink ray ideas. As the three of them actually worked, it had not taken too long for them to fix the shrink ray together. With their combined knowledge, it was shocking that it had taken so little time, and you set your laptop back into your bag as you saw all three of them standing. 

Billy was holding the shrink ray in his hands firmly. Doctor Venture set up Helper with a blindfold and a cigarette. You were not entirely sure why they set Helper up the way that he did, but he pointed the shrink ray towards Helper. When you moved yourself behind everyone, you watched as Billy shrunk Helper with ease. 

"Alright, she's ready to test," Billy said excitedly. "Who's the guinea pig?"

"I'm an albino," Pete said quickly. "I can't even go to the beach without exploding. There's no way I'm standing in front of an anything-ray." 

"Single parent," Doctor Venture said. "Those boys need me. I am their rock."

Doctor Venture and Billy had both turned to glance at you, Doctor Venture smirking slightly as he stared you down. "Uh, what are you guys looking at me for?" You asked nervously, biting your lip gently. You rolled your eyes with a sigh, crossing your arms. "I mean, I've died once already, so why the hell not." 

White's eyes widened and he stood in front of you. "There is no way we're shrinking her," he said quickly, causing you to blush lightly. "What about Billy?" 

"Me?" Billy exclaimed. "I have not lived enough for I have never tasted the flower of a woman."

"What do you mean?" Pete said. 

"Yeah, tasted a flower?" Doctor Venture scoffed. "Is that a direct metaphor?" 

"Cause I don't take many trips down south myself," Pete added. 

Doctor Venture turned to try and make himself look better once more, saying, "I do happen to enjoy the south," as he glanced over at you, causing your lips to purse uncomfortably. 

Rolling your eyes, you said, "Not impressed."

"Could you stop trying to hit on my girlfriend while I'm standing right here?" White replied exhaustedly. 

"You guys are disgusting," Billy said, placing his hand up. "No, I mean, I haven't sampled the fruits of the fairer sex." 

"What's with the poetry, wordsworth?" Doctor Venture said, exasperated. "Just say it. Say 'I am a virgin'."

"I know it," Pete said excitedly. 

"Billy, that makes you the best candidate to take a ray blast," Doctor Venture said. "You have nothing to lose. You've never done anything. The way I look at it, it's not even murder. It's a very late abortion." 

"Wait, give me 24 hours to experience love," Billy said, placing his hands up as he spoke. "Let me know the gentle caress of a woman. Let me sleep in the shade of love's bough. I will return to you, I will return knowing the sweet taste--."

"I vote Billy," Pete said quickly, placing his hand up. 

"Seconded," Doctor Venture said, placing his hand up. "Alright, virgin, get on the target." 

Billy begrudgingly walked over to the target, before saying, "Y/N needs to be the one to shoot me. I don't trust either of you to be a good shot." 

When Pete handed you the shrink ray, he grazed his fingertips against your hand, making you blush. "It's simple, just like a gun, except you have to have this set to shrink," he said, explaining the shrink ray to you and pointing at a switch. 

You swallowed hard, glancing at the gun, and then over at Billy. Pointing directly at his chest, assuming that any contact with the ray would cause the shrink, you fired a direct shot at him. Thankfully, you had practiced enough with your gun to know how to properly hit a target. 

"Anything happen?" Doctor Venture asked. 

White stood close to you as he glanced with his red eyes over to Billy, before glancing over at Doctor Venture. "No, nothing," Pete said after a moment of waiting for maybe a late reaction. "I told you the phosphates were too old."

"No, it worked," Billy said in a weak voice. "You shrank my lungs."

"Ah, shit," you muttered out, a frown across your face. 

Doctor Venture broke out laughing, and as he did, you could hear the chair squeak into a farting noise. Pete said, "Woah, Rusty. Man!" He was laughing the entire time. 

"I can't breathe over here," Billy strained out. 

"It's gonna get worse," Doctor Venture said smirking. "You remember that sound my chair made a second ago? That wasn't the chair." He could barely contain his laughter as he spoke. 

"It'll be there in a minute, Billy," Pete said as he held his nose. "Oh, think deviled eggs."

"I hate you guys," Billy strained out. 

You rolled your eyes and glanced at the switch that White had shown you earlier. Switching the switch into the other direction, you shot the ray gun at him again to fix his lungs. Thankfully, you had seen it working as Billy gasped, gluttonous for the oxygen he was now receiving. 

"Thank you, Y/N," Billy said with a smile. 

Unfortunately his comfort did not last long, as you had to try again and again to make the shrink ray work. After you had shrunk his head, Doctor Venture said, "So much for good aim."

You rolled your eyes at him. "If either of you would like to try instead, have a blast," you said. "I don't think it's exerting enough power to shrink the full body." 

You shot again to turn Billy's head back to normal, much to his relief. "She does seem to have a point," Billy chimed in, partially tired of being shrunk in parts. "The ray is clearly not shrinking enough of the body." 

The three men ended up going back to the table, sitting down while Billy and Pete were talking about ways to increase the ohms. Doctor Venture on the other hand had already looked done with the whole situation. It was almost disappointing, and definitely was not going to be the subject of your thesis now. 


	18. XVII

"Are you sure that this was the size of my head before?" Billy asked. 

"Positive," White said with a grimace on his face, staring down at the ray. "Hey, what if we cross circuit the accelerator? It might give us more ohms or something?" 

"Give up, White," Doctor Venture said, glancing back at him. "I lose. It's eight o'clock."

You were quietly typing away on another editing piece, getting some work done while you sat and waited for the three of them to finish working on the shrink ray. Occasionally, you would glance up at the three of them, primarily at Pete. There was no doubt that he was distracting, your mind reeling with questions that you wished you were not too timid to ask. 

Pete glanced over to Doctor Venture, saying positively, "Come on, you're Rusty Venture. Never say die." 

"Die," he spat back. "I said it. Forget it, I'm not my dad. I can't even fix something that he invented. I was a good boy adventurer, but I suck at this." 

"You weren't a good boy adventurer," Billy chimed in. "You were the best. Hold on, let me show you something." Billy walked over to his belongings, grabbing a metal lunch box and bringing it over.

"Hello?" You could hear Orpheus calling. "Mr. Venture?"

"Lab!" He called out in aggravation. 

"You win," Orpheus said, walking up to the table. "I cannot make myself any smaller than I am now." As he motioned, you watched as White ended up flinching back so he would not get hit by Orpheus's hand. 

"Knew it, you charlatan," Doctor Venture replied smugly, causing your eyes to roll as you glanced back down at your laptop. "How much was the bet for? A million dollars?"

"Nothing," Orpheus replied frowning, "a gentleman's bet. How small did you get?"

"Me?" Doctor Venture said, glancing away. "Yeah, it never worked right. Complete waste of time. If you kept your mouth shut, you would have won the gentleman." 

"Snacks!" Pete exclaimed as Billy placed his lunchbox on the table. "Good call, Billy. I'm starved over here." 

Ignoring White's comment, he started directing his speech towards Doctor Venture. "Doctor Venture, look at this box," he said seriously, sliding it over the table. 

"I haven't seen one of those in years," he replied in shock, grabbing it with both hands as he examined it with his eyes. By this point, you had put away what you were working on to actually focus once again, presuming that they would be wrapping everything up soon anyhow. 

"Yep, a Rusty Venture lunchbox," Billy said. "It's not the same one I had as a kid. This one I got on Ebay. I can't use the thermos because it smells like old milk. Plus, some kid put Thundercats stickers all over it."

"Why do you have one of these?" Doctor Venture asked, smiling. 

"Can't you see, Mr. Venture?" Orpheus said, holding his arm out once again. "You were the little boy man's hero." 

"You were the reason I became a boy genius," Billy said with a smile. 

"Yeah, Rust, every kid wanted to be you," Pete chimed in. 

Smiling more, Doctor Venture said, "Yeah, I was pretty cool. That's me on the pterodactyl. Took him down myself." 

"Yes, you were pretty cool," Orpheus added in. "Let us retire to my sitting room. I shall whip up a batch of my famous rice pudding!" 

The group got up and began walking, you clutching your bag tightly to you. Billy, Pete, and Doctor Venture walked in front, where you walked beside Orpheus. "I feel like we have forgotten to do something," Orpheus said suddenly, getting Doctor Venture's attention. 

You continued to walk, catching up with Pete and Billy as the two stopped, Doctor Venture saying, "Oh, my god you're right." 

The three of you walked to Orpheus's door, awaiting the man to catch up. When you ended up standing beside Pete, you felt slender fingers become entangled with your own, causing you to blush and glance up at Pete. "Thanks for, you know, spending the day doing this," he said quietly. 

"Yes, thank you," Billy chimed in. "I could only imagine how bad White would have shrunk me," he said with an uncomfortable shiver. 

You could not help but chuckle in response, saying, "I basically did the same thing I would have done at home with you two gone anyways. I do appreciate not being shrunk, though. Not a fan of vulnerability." 

"For someone uncomfortable with vulnerability, you were practically ready to jump in front of it," White snarked with a sigh. 

You gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, smiling softly up at him. Before the two of you, or even the three of you could talk anymore, Doctor Venture and Orpheus showed up. He invited the four of you into his sitting room before rushing off to his kitchen. With the small couch that Orpheus had, you practically had to sit on Pete's lap as the group relaxed in the room. 

"You know, if I knew you wanted to sit on my lap, we could have done this sooner," he whispered sarcastically into your ear, causing you to blush deeply. 

Rolling your eyes, you said, "With how often you lay on me, I'm shocked you're not on mine." 

"Don't tempt me," he said sarcastically, wrapping his arm around you so it would not be uncomfortably in your face. 

When Orpheus came back out, he had talked a great deal about what he did for a living. White, Quizboy, and yourself had not known Orpheus well anyhow, so the three of you were listening while Doctor Venture seemed to be off in his own little world. As he continued to talk about his job, you could not help but wonder if the man was truly serious of what he was saying. Apparently, he had helped the Ventures with his magic, but with your knowledge of science, it was questionable. 

Once Orpheus had given a free spot in what he was saying, you chimed in, “If someone was, lets say, brought to another universe and brought back to life by unscientific means, would you be able to see how?”

“Ah, jeez, no,” Pete said uncomfortably. 

You simply rolled your eyes as your eyes stayed on Orpheus expectantly, wondering if he truly would be able. “Why, yes, I would,” he said with another dramatic pose. “Though true necromancers are long gone from this world.”

You shake your head, standing up from the comfortable spot you had been, practically on White’s lap. “What would you need to do?” you asked softly. “I have been curious for a while now.” Your heart beat quickly as you stared at the elder gentleman, seeing his face light up at the idea of actually performing some of his magic upon you. Since Doctor Venture had always called his job hocus pocus, he was excited to see someone more open-minded.

“Hug me,” he said dramatically, and hesitantly you had followed his instructions, the men watching in practical horror as you passed out in his arms. He set you down cautiously before his index fingers met his temples, his voice humming out as he recalled the events, sensing everything that had gone on, and the evil energy of Henry Killinger. His face contorted in almost a fear as he was watching. 

After he had been done, you regained consciousness, pulling yourself to your feet. “The terrified look is definitely not easing my mind,” you said uncomfortably, moving to sit on Pete’s lap. He wrapped his arms around you protectively, though his face still showed discomfort from what he had just watched. 

“You were brought here by a great evil!” Doctor Orpheus said dramatically, causing you to shudder a bit. “Revived by the devil incarnate!”

You tilted your head, confused. “You’re not going to end up going into some explanation of how I’m inherently evil, are you?” you asked hesitantly, biting your lip. 

“No, no, no,” he said quickly, a smile coming back to his face to try to give you some peace of mind. “You were grasped tightly and pulled from the cold grave by evil, but you are still you. Why you were brought here is a mystery even to me.”


	19. XVIII

White was playing his video game as you lay your head in his lap, your head already pounding. What Pete did not know was the fact that you were up late the night before, working on various papers to make sure that you had everything done and turned in. After you have gotten your papers done, you ended up making up for working on school work all night by doing a few editing pieces on top of it all, and then the two of them had woken you up early. Thankfully Pete drove Billy to the Venture Compound for the scheme Doctor Venture had arranged, while you ended up praying for the coffee to work out your killer headache. 

Instead, it had made it significantly worse, and though you did manage to go through most of your day, you were done. Since you were never a fan of medicine, you just kind of suffered through it. Relief struck you when Pete had decided to play some video games, allowing you a comfortable pillow to lay upon. Unfortunately, he did happen to move around a great deal while he was playing his game, causing your head to move quite a few times as well. 

You finally had it, groaning as you sat up straight, leaning your back against the back of the couch. Pete glanced over to you as you were rubbing your temples, a frown apparent on his face. “You look like crap,” he said, before correcting himself, “I mean physically...ah, jeez, you know what I mean.”

“I opted to work instead of sleep,” you said absently with a slight frown. “Just a headache that won’t go away.”

“You know, we have some ibuprofen somewhere,” he said, about to get up, before you stopped him by placing a hand upon his arm, shaking your head. 

“I’ll live,” you said softly, your eyes meeting his red ones before you gave him a not-so-reassuring smile. “I prefer to stay away from medicine.”

“You know, these late nights, you’re going to burn yourself out,” he said, eyeing you with a frown on his face. 

You stifled a light laugh, before cringing at the pain in your head. “I would give you some sort of snarky comment if this didn’t hurt so fucking bad,” you said softly. 

“I’m serious,” he said, his tone stern as he placed his controller down and placed a hand upon your knee. “You do so much, and you’re going to end up hurting yourself. Hell, you already are.”

“It’s a bad habit,” you said with a slight smirk despite yourself. 

He rolled his eyes, saying, “You’re telling me,” before moving his hand up to cup your cheek. “Go lie down on my bed. I have to go get Billy in a little bit anyways.”

You frowned, saying, “Just because I can’t say no to you, handsome, fine.” 

“At least you still have some of that snark in you still,” he chided back with a smirk as he watched you get up and make your way to his room. 

You rolled your eyes, saying, “That wasn’t snark. Just learn to take a compliment.”

“Get some sleep, beautiful, or I’m hiding your laptop,” he called back, a smirk still apparent on his face. As he heard the door close, he could not help but frown a little bit. If he had been quicker, and gentle about it, he could have stolen a kiss from you. He hadn’t, though, and he wished that he had. The only thing he could relish in was the fact that he would be able to hold your slumbering body as the two of you slept later that night.

  
  



	20. XIX

"Damnit, White!" You could hear Billy exclaim as he was still in the bathroom. "How many times do I have to tell you about refilling the roll?" 

"Huh?" Pete said as he was too interested in the game he was playing at the current time. You were working beside him on your laptop, while he leaned against your shoulder. 

"Oh, God!" Billy exclaimed as the two of you were sitting on the opposite end of the trailer. Followed by his exclamation was a loud thump, presumably him falling. 

"Whi-White, White, White, White!" Billy screamed. "White, get in here!" 

Pete groaned against your shoulder, his face very focused upon his game. "Billy, I don't care how big it is," he said in a disgusted tone, "I don't want to see what you made in there." 

"White, I just remembered something," he said as he stepped out of the bathroom, leaning his hand on the counter. 

"What?" Pete said exhaustedly, sitting up and turning to him. 

In an almost scared tone, he said, "Everything." 

You glanced over at Pete and could see the way that his eyes narrowed upon Billy, brows furrowed. There was something that he did not want him to know, and you could see that in his handsome red eyes. Billy began walking closer to the two of you, and you had closed your laptop, knowing something was about to happen. 

"It all came flooding back to me like a tidal wave--" Billy said as he walked, "things that happened years ago." Standing in front of Pete, Billy continued to talk to Pete. "I fell off the toilet, and suddenly, my hand started doing this weird st-- wait a minute. You!"

Pete grabbed your laptop without a word to you, standing up and smacking Billy on the head with it, knocking him out. Right before he did, Billy said, "You were there, too!" 

Quickly, Pete reached for his cell phone in his overcoat, pulling it out with the hand that was not holding your laptop. "Hello, Goldilocks," he said in the phone, "This is Casper. Little Nemo has fallen out of bed." 

You grimaced slightly at the man that was lying unconscious on the floor, before your glanced back up at the handsome man that simply stood above you. After a few minutes of silence, he said, "You probably think I'm a bad person."

Sighing, you stood up and maneuvered your laptop gently out of his hand, checking to make sure he hadn't harmed the screen. As you had seen he had not, you let out a relieved sigh, shoving the laptop away. "If everyone who did questionable things were bad people, everyone would be bad," you replied simply. "If you ever lay a malice hand on me, I will kill you, though." 

"What, you'll push me out into the sun?" He said sarcastically. 

You sent him a glare, standing up. "I would never use the sun against you," you replied with a grimace still clear upon your face. Biting your lip, you knitted your brows. "Even I know that's a low blow." 

The two of you were interrupted by Brock coming by and picking up Billy. He took an awkward look over at you, knowing that you had seen the situation. "Should we?" Brock asked, pointing over at you. 

"She won't say anything," he said in a stern tone, shaking his head. 

Brock left with Billy as quickly as he had come, leaving the two of you in the trailer by yourselves. When Brock left with Billy, Pete sat back down on the couch, placing his head in his hands. You could not help but feel bad, seeing him the way he was, and joined him back on the couch. 

"You know you don't have to bare it alone, right?" You said in a soothing tone, a complete change to what you were saying before. "Whatever happened, I won't ask. I understand." 

He glanced over at you with his red eyes brimming with tears. You reached out and cupped his chin, running your thumb gently against his cheekbone. "Why do you support this?" He asked in a dejected tone. 

"I don't know what went on between the two of you," you said in a gentle voice, "but I see every single day how much you care about him." 

"He never wanted to see me again," he whispered softly, allowing a few stray tears to fall down his pale cheeks. "I ruined his life." 

"You didn't ruin his life," you said sternly. "Look at where you two are now. Tell me that his life would have been better if nothing had happened between the two of you." 

"It could have been," he countered, causing you to sigh. 

You pulled him into your arms, allowing him to just simply enjoy the comfort of your arms. He gripped at you tightly as he allowed tears to fall from his eyes, sobbing into your shoulder. Rubbing his back comfortingly as he cried, you would have sat there forever with him like that if he needed it. Your heart ached, seeing him so upset, where all you could do was hold him. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered in between sobs. 

"Don't apologize, Pete," you said sternly. "I do apologize for mentioning the whole killing you thing. That just kind of came out." 

He chuckled softly, beginning to stop crying as he was composing himself once more. His face now no longer buried in your shoulder, you reached over to wipe a few stray tears away. "I'm, you know, shocked that you didn't freak out," he said. 

"I died over half a year ago, Pete," you said sternly. "And since then, I was resurrected in another dimension where the ex that killed me wants to kill me again. On top of it, I've slaughtered henchmen, not even stopping to watch the life drain from their eyes. There's very little that can freak me out by now." 

"I'll tell you," he said after a moment, readjusting himself into a straighter position as his red eyes gazed over at you. "If you wanna know." 

You nodded, saying, "I would, if you're willing." 

"I used to be the host on a TV show, Quizboys," he started, recalling back to when he had dragged Billy Whalen's name through the mud. The young man was accused of cheating, which he had been doing. It was not his choice, though, and neither men had access to adequate funds to start a new, better path. That's when they began their great journey towards Venture Enterprises, stopping at every underground quiz arena on the way. Trivia was getting them through, and Billy was making good money in those underground arenas. That was, of course, until Pete had a bet on him the day after they had been turned down by Doctor Venture. Disappointment fell into disarray, and after Billy was badly injured, he forced White to drop him at the side of the road. OSI had taken him, made him into their own inside guy to catch Phantomose, and more importantly, the Guild of Calamitous Intent. All circumstantial bungles later, Sampson had shown up at his door with Billy Quizboy Whalen in a sack, memory wiped clean of the dangerous debacle that caused the boys to part ways, as well as the horrible time under OSI. 

While Billy was gone, Pete had become a mess. He was heavily into cocaine whenever he could spare a buck for it, squatting in a trailer that he had seen when he was desperately in need of shelter. The man stopped caring about himself, sitting out in his jacket and underwear as the sun burnt at his sensitive flesh. If Sampson had not come sooner with the good news, it was possible that he would have died. During the story, he specifically stated that he would have deserved his fate. 

"I can see why Sampson helps you when his memories come back," you mused out in barely above a whisper. "Though the part you played, it sounds like you just went over your own head." Your lips curled into a grimace as your eyes fixated upon the clearly upset albino. "The two of you need one another, Pete. Sometimes to the point that I feel like I'm in the way. None of that story could make me think any less of you, you know." 

"If it wasn't for me, he would have gone to MIT and gotten his degree," Pete argued with a frown. 

"I know how hard it is not to blame yourself," you said morosely. "But you two gave yourselves something that he wouldn't have going to MIT. The bond the two of you have is fucking strong, and what you're doing now, you do because you need him as much as he needs you." 

"Thank you," he murmured, his lips tugging into a soft smile. "I'm going to make sure nothing looks out of place before picking him up." 

You nodded, standing as well, saying, "If you need anything and I'm not back yet, call me. I just need a little air." Shoving your phone into your pocket, you were happy that you had fully charged it the night prior. Your eyes took one last glance back at the handsome albino man, feeling your heart tighten in your chest as you walked out. 

_ What if I actually am in the way, _ you wondered as you began walking. Today, you did not want to train, instead blissfully walking as far away from the trailer as you could. You had been brought to this dimension, set in front of their trailer, and part of you still questioned why. For that matter, you still questioned why you were falling so hard for the albino, and yet you could not bring it any further. 

You knew you were falling in love with the man, especially seeing as he did not scare you off with the story. It was a weight, anything could remind you of your past. Everything reminded you of your past, and part of you wondered if you deserved those boys. Billy Quizboy had become like a little brother to you, though he was actually more than a few years your senior. 

Pete on the other hand, oh, the handsome Pete White had taken you to a place you were not sure you could come down. He was like your own brand of drugs, sending you to a place you never thought you would be. Just like back when you used to party as a teen, he was that psychedelic trip that felt so good. The albino man had long lasting effects upon you, though, and you were falling in love with him. Seeing him so out of sorts had made you feel a sort of emotional connection, as if you could feel what he was feeling. 

Despite yourself, you did not walk far. There was something about how the albino man was feeling at the moment that made you think he would assume you abandoned him if you walked too far from the trailer. It was in sight, just barely, as you turned your music on. You laid back against the sand, simply listening to each note as it played, thinking of everything you had been through over the last three years. 

The best thing of the last three years was sitting in the trailer, though. You were sure of it, and yet you could not take that extra step towards him, the extra words that he could know. He knew you had an attraction to him, of course, as you had shared that kiss after you completely slaughtered henchmen with Brock Sampson, the morning that you woke in his bed. 

Somehow, nothing was permanent, though. Nothing felt permanent, and you were simply living in their trailer until who knows what. Your savings had more than enough to get the three of you a nice place to live, and yet that extra step was not taken. Part of you wondered if you should take the step yourself, living outside from the two boys. The OSI would have gladly taken you, as you had done more than a few jobs for them already. You had options in this dimension, and yet, part of you just could not leave them. 

Somehow it was just too hard to nail it down. Maybe it was shyness, or maybe it was the fact that you knew the two had shared more than enough memories to not want to let the trailer go. 

After about a half hour, you ended up walking back into the trailer, clearing that from your mind. Pete was playing a video game again, barely even realizing you were walking back into the trailer itself. That was until you sat beside him, leaning against his back as he played. 

Red eyes glanced back at you for a split moment before he had to glance back to the screen of his game. The two of you had just stayed like that for a while until he had made it to another pause screen. As he began shifting, you moved yourself off of his back. For a moment, he set his controller beside him before gingerly moving you over into his arms, letting his arms wrap around you, his controller back into his hands. You curled into him comfortably, relishing in the warmth of his arms. 

"Y/N," he said, breaking the silence after a while of the two of you just sharing the comfort. You hummed softly in response before he continued. "I've been meaning to ask you, how do you actually feel about me?" 

You glanced up at him, blush attempting to rise in your cheeks as you thought of how to even respond to his question. "I'm scared of scaring you away," you said finally with your lips curling into a frown. "But I have admittedly fallen for you." 

"I want to hear you say it," he said in a surprisingly serious tone, placing his controller to the side of the two of you again. "You ain't gonna scare me." 

Sucking in a shaky breath, you calm yourself before saying, "Pete, I'm in love with you." Your voice was barely above a whisper, staring into red eyes. After the words escaped your mouth, you could feel your breath hitch as you had said it aloud for the first time. This was the first time you had blatantly said anything like this aloud to him, be it liking, loving, or anything. 

For a while, he simply stared down at you, and you felt yourself crawling under the microscope gaze as you felt his stare. What you had not known was that he was simply in awe, to hear you say it. Since he had to hit Billy over the head, he had been feeling down on himself, but to hear after he even shared his story with you that you were in love with him was awe-striking. 

This time, he initiated the kiss, closing the gap quickly, but with passion. His warm lips connected with yours and your breath hitched once again in your throat. The albino man needed this at this moment. He needed the comfort of your arms around him, pulling him tight to you. Tasting your lips against his own felt so right, and he needed to taste more. Licking at your bottom lip, he practically begged for entry. 

You opened your mouth slightly to allow his tongue in, engulfed in the taste of his mouth. The two of you had battled tongues for a while, savoring one another until oxygen was needed once again in your lungs. When the two of you separated for a while you had simply stared into his red eyes, neither of you speaking as you were catching your breath. 

He had finally broken the silence, saying softly, “I’m in love with you, too, Y/N.” 

You could feel your lips upturn into a smile as you brought him into another long, wonderful kiss. Relishing in the taste of his lips, you melted into the kiss once more. He had forgotten about his video game while the two of you kissed, completely focused upon this moment alone. For the first time in his life, he was feeling something entirely new. This sort of happiness was something he did not wish to let go, and it had only taken you two being shy for so long to finally confess how you felt about one another. 

“What are we, anyways?” he asked as the two of you separated once more. This was a question you had been debating for a while, wondering where the two of you had truly stood with one another. His red eyes were practically pleading as they were staring down upon your own y/e/c eyes. 

Letting out a soft chuckle, you said, “I’ve been wondering the same thing for a while now, Pete.”

As he pulled you close in his arms, he practically whispered, “If you really want me, I want you to be, you know, my girlfriend.”

Your smile beamed as you whispered, "I would simply adore that." 


	21. XX

"White, Y/N!" Billy shrieked. "I'm being kidnapped by Zeus!" 

"That's what I've been telling you," Pete called back from the room the two of you were sharing. You rolled your eyes as you quickly slipped your clothes on, hair still damp from the shower. "That's why you should eat more fiber." 

Both of you caught sight of the shining God in front of Billy, and your jaw practically dropped. "Holy crap!" Pete called out, and you pushed yourself in front of him, much to his dismay. "Babe, you don't want to go towards the bad guy." 

"Who are you?" Zeus asked about Pete, before he shifted his eyes to you. "And ah, Y/N, saved me a trip." 

"Oh great and powerful Zeus," the albino boyfriend of yours started, before bowing down to the God from behind you. You sighed as you watched. "I am but a humble servant." 

"You don't bow to the bad guys either, sweetheart," you said in an exasperated tone. 

"But it's a Greek God!" He retorted. 

Billy threw his hands up in the air, exclaiming, "Some fucking scientist, White! Zeus is a myth, and this guy's kidnapping me." 

"Wait, you are in charge?" Zeus asked Billy, pointing his scepter at him. 

"Yeah, I'm the brains here," Billy said smugly. 

"What?" Pete replied with his hands on his hips, a scowl on his face. "Since when? I'm running this show, and you know it."

"Are you high?" Billy retorted back. "You do nothing--nothing!"

"I'm the idea man!" Pete countered. "Babe, don't you agree?" 

"I'm getting kidnapped too, apparently, so I'm not sure if I'd like to take sides at the moment," you said shrugging. "You two are kind of a mutual contribution in your own ways, not some weird dictatorship."

"Then, Billy Quizboy, Y/N L/N, and whoever you are," the Zeus boomed out in his reverberating voice, before raising his scepter above his head, "you must come with me." 

When Zeus's scepter was aimed downward, the room filled with a blinding light, and you felt Pete's arms wrap around you to attempt to protect you. His attempt was unfortunately futile, as there was something that knocked everyone out. The last thing you saw was armed men in armor coming at the two of you before your whole world went black. 


	22. XXI

Waking up, you initially felt the straw ground beneath you. Upon further realization, you had significantly less clothing on than prior. Waking, it was a chilling thought, immediately opening your eyes to adjust to the newfound surrounding light. Rubbing your head and groaning out, you rose to your feet almost too quickly, thankfully steadied by something as you almost fell. 

That something felt flesh-like, and you turned quickly to see that it was your gorgeous albino holding you up by your arm gently. "Thank you," you managed to murmur out. "You okay?"

"For now," he said ominously, a frown apparent across his face. 

You moved to stand on your own as you realized you were short one shorter player, glancing around the stall that the two of you were placed in. Letting out a relieved sigh as your eyes landed on a very uncomfortable looking Billy, you glanced down to see that you were already adorned in Greek fighting garb. 

You simply glanced down at the attire you adorned, much like the men, but with your tie right under your boobs, barely holding up the flimsy brown fabric. On your feet, you wore surprisingly snug knee high gladiator sandals, as if they were tailored just for you. "What fucking pervert had fun playing dress up with my body?" You growled out in annoyance. 

Before you could complain any further, the door opened, pushing you down to the ground hard. You groaned, glancing up to see guards standing at the door. One held out scroll, saying in an authoritative voice, "Y/N L/N, come with me." 

Pete glanced at you with true fear in his eyes, watching as you bit your lip gently and nodded, following the gladiator men without another word. The men brought you to choose your weapon before leading you to the battle arena. A masked gladiator, presumably the ringleader of the whole situation, stated, "Y/N L/N, serving under the villain Pete White against…" He made the introduction of the other henchman, and you don't even care to argue about how incredibly wrong they had gotten your wrap sheet. Pete was far from a villian, and it was not like you served under him after all. 

The henchman that faced you stared at you in fear. Vaguely, you recognized that it was one of Y/E/N's underlings, and he had likely been one of the few to survive the massacre that you took part in with Brock Sampson. You allowed a smirk to cross your face as you eyed the man down. Already with more than your share of blood metaphorically on your hands, you were about to get this man's blood literally onto your hands. 

You had been in four bloody matches before anyone truly seemed to put up enough of a fight to get you down to your knees, chest heaving as you tried to catch your breath. Glancing up at the man, you saw an opening, gripping the sword tightly as you cut him down. Rising from your knees, you steadied yourself with a victorious smirk upon your face. 

"The victor, for 5 victories in a row, is Y/N L/N," the announcer said. "Now guards, chain her and bring her back." 

They put a collar upon you, as you tried to struggle against the men that brought you back to the barn that they were holding everyone in. "You know," you growled out as they tugged you, "I don't wish for more blood on my hands, but I'll gladly kill you all." 

Your eyes looked almost crazily at the guards, narrowing upon the one in particular that was pulling you harshly. There was no doubt that you looked insane with the blood covering your body, cuts and scrapes everywhere. Barely any of the blood was your own, though, and each of those guards were aware of that terrible fact. One hit you hard in the head with the hilt of his sword, causing you to spit up some of your own blood before turning your head, eyes narrowing at the man that had hit you. 

“Shut the fuck up,” the man said in a sickening tone and you lurched against your restraints, only to feel yourself pulled back. 

They threw you into a cell with the gay sailor, henchman 21, and the elder Captain Sunshine. Before you had the chance to get back up, they had already closed the door. “God, you look fucking ferril,” Henchman 21 commented as you simply glared at the shut door. “Aren’t you White’s girlfriend?”

Taking in a shuddering breath, you calm yourself before your eyes glanced over to 21. “Y-yeah,” you said with a sheepish smile. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on with me.”

“All your rage is coming out,” he clarified. “I noticed that when you were tearing down henchmen at the Venture Compound. You terrify the monarch’s henchmen almost as much as Brock Sampson.”

You chuckled softly, a frown apparent on your face. “On a larger scale, I’ve realized I was brought into this world for the ultimate gladiator match with the man that killed me,” you said, leaning against the wall. “I’m tired of fighting, but once I let my guard down, I allow him to win.”

“How did I get stuck in here with repressed rage and daddy issues?” the gay man said with his sassy tone, causing you to roll your eyes. 

Letting out a sigh, you murmured, “We need to get out of here.”

“Preach it, sister,” the gay man replied. 

The guards came in and took Captain Sunshine and the gay man out for their battle, before throwing your boyfriend and friend in like ragdolls. You growled at the guards, your eyes narrowing upon them before they quickly shut the door to lock you in. You could hear one say to the other, “Bitch needs to learn her place.”

The other guard laughed at his comment, saying, “When they get to their double battle, she’ll end up killing her little lover boy.”

You quickly moved to your boyfriend’s side, helping him up. He stared at you with wide red eyes, looking at your bloodied state. “It’s not my blood, for the most part,” you said sheepishly, seeing the worry in his eyes. 

“This is a horrible environment for you,” Billy commented, sitting up uncomfortably. 

“No shit, Sherlock,” Pete snapped at Billy, before cupping your cheek gently. 

Henchman 21 cleared his throat to get the three of your attention, your eyes snapping over to the man who was meditating while the three of you were reuniting. “If you three are done, I have a plan,” he said. The four of you huddled, Pete and Billy sitting on one side, Pete facing you while Billy was facing Henchman 21. “They’re going to bring the four of us out,” Henchman 21 said, “Y/N and I will take out the guards while you two get away to the barn, letting out all of the captives. What they want to see is us take out you guys, and then exact their revenge on me. If we can keep them distracted for long enough, you guys will be fine and they’ll be overpowered by us as a swarm.”

“Why the hell do they want me to kill Pete, though?” you said, eyes averted over to Henchman 21. “Unless…” You placed your head in your hands, aggravatingly scraping your hands down before turning your head towards the door. Reality had struck you, and though the ringleader of it all seemed to have something against Henchman 21 himself, he had help. That help that he had wanted you to suffer, after all. “Y/E/N.” 

You let out a sigh before Pete crawled over to you, putting his arm around you and pulling you close. “I know you would never kill me,” he reassured with a half smile. "I think." 

You rolled your eyes before glancing into his red eyes, an unamused look on your face. "You could have left it at never," you said with a laugh. 


	23. XXII

Doctor Venture had called the three of you for a meeting of sorts, attempting to raise the rent of the camper that the three of you resided in. Though it was such a stupid idea to you in the first place, the way the man had sounded on the phone was urgent, almost desperate. There was something deeper going on, and you could not quite put your finger on it. 

Meeting the three of you out front of the compound, you walked beside your albino boyfriend, listening to Doctor Venture as he spoke. What Doctor Venture was saying on the phone was significantly different than what he was saying in person as he spoke. He mentioned giving the boys more room for Conjectural Technologies, trying to get them to rent out a building that he had already picked out. 

You could not help but feel a pit in your stomach as you thought about where on the Venture Estate the man could have possibly been thinking about giving them. After all the work that you had been doing for Sphinx recently, you were well aware that they were so close that you could practically taste the horrible smell on the men you helped. 

Billy chimed in first, responding to Doctor Venture, "We don't need much room for what we do, and that's why we can't pay that much, because we don't do that much." What Billy was saying was true, after all, you had merely seen them tinkering from time to time. Most of the business that you had actually seen Conjectural Technologies receive was always in the form of medical procedures outside of their working area. 

"We actually don't do anything," Pete chimed in, causing you to roll your eyes at your frigid boyfriend. 

Doctor Venture pressed as the three of you walked behind him, saying, "I'll cut you a break." His voice was exhausted, dripping with desperation as he spoke. "I just need to have at least 70% of my estate allotted to community vigilance and safeguarding rightness." 

"Is someone trying to arch you legally or some shit?" You muttered out, your arms now crossed as you walked. "This has guild written all over it." 

The three of them ended up catching side glances at you in wonder. "I got the news through an email," he countered in an exasperated tone, and your brows merely knitted in response. 

"What does that even mean, community vigilance and safeguarding rightness?" Pete spat with a frown upon his face. It was true that you had known before you even left the house that Pete did not want to come out for this. If it were not for the fact that Doctor Venture was asking for Conjectural Technologies, you would have come in his place. Instead, you had been the ride once more. 

"It means that Quizboy and the Pink Phantom have arrived!" Billy said excitedly, causing you to chuckle. "High-five!" 

"Yup, welcome to the world of super science, action, and adventure," Doctor Venture chimed in bitterly. 

"Rules!" Billy exclaimed. Everyone was ignoring the shorter man as he waved his arms around. "Will somebody hit this? I'm hanging here." 

"Come on, Rusty," Pete said, giving Billy a silent high five to quell the shorter man. "You know we can't get the super scientist community to take us seriously." 

"You guys are ready," Doctor Venture countered quickly. "It's easy. You park a hovercraft in there, and once a month you go to a soup kitchen and lance boils off homeless guys. You don't need costumes or anything!" 

"And where exactly are you making the vacant room for them, if I may ask?" You said with a raised eyebrow, studying Doctor Venture. Trying to make sure not to sound suspicious, you could feel your anxiety rising the more that the for of you walked. You knew this was the direction of headquarters, and personally did not want everyone to have to go through a memory wipe. 

"This is it," he said, extending his hands outward, showing the exact building you were hoping he wasn't going to show. How you wished in this moment that there was a building not too far from there that he had meant instead, and yet you had to think of something. 

Quickly, you walked ahead of the group, pulling Doctor Venture quickly aside. "This is going to sound weird, but please, by god, don't go in there," you said in a serious, low tone. Your brows were knit in discomfort as your eyes met a very unamused Doctor Venture gaze. 

"It's not so impressive on the outside, but I think they'll be impressed with the inside," Doctor Venture countered with a huff, causing you to grimace. 

Rubbing your temples with your fingers, you said, "Let's get this over with." 

White glanced over to you as you had joined back with the group, looking extra antsy. Anxiety through the roof, you did not want Doctor Venture to open those doors. "You okay, babe?" He asked with a little concern in his voice. 

Doctor Venture opened the door excitedly, you simply holding your hand over your face as you watched him open it. "What the fuck?" Doctor Venture said as the three of you entered the building, seeing the fully operational Sphinx headquarters. 

"It's perfect!" Billy said quickly. "Where do I sign?" 

You rolled your eyes before your gaze was met by the accusing one of Doctor Venture. "You knew about this?!" He stated in practically a scream, causing you to cower a bit behind Pete's much taller frame. 

"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag," you muttered out, blush rising in your cheeks. As you said that, you could feel your boyfriend's head turn over to glance at you as well, causing you to cower more. You felt as if everyone was staring at you, and by this point, it was more than likely that they were. 

"Small tits!" You could hear Hunter greet with false enthusiasm, causing you to rigidly turn to meet his gaze. "Why the hell did you let them in here?" 

You frowned, taking in a deep breath. "I tried not to," you said sheepishly, blushing a little as you spoke. "None of them knew, and well, I don't really have the right to keep Doctor Venture out of here." 

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Pete asked with a raise in his voice, clearly confused and conflicted. 

You glanced back at your boyfriend, but before you were even able to say anything, Hunter cut you off. "Your  _ babe _ is one of the best operatives Sphinx could ever ask for," he said, placing a proud hand upon your shoulder firmly. 

"Sphinx!" You could hear Shore Leave exclaim in passing. 

"I do get kidnapped a lot, but I don't always get kidnapped by my arch," you said with a nervous chuckle. "I've been doing some classified missions." 

"Come, sit, since you invited yourselves in anyhow," Hunter said, motioning for everyone to go to the conference table. 

Brock showed up rather quickly afterwards, sitting at the table with all of you, accompanied by Shore Leave and Sky Pilot. You sat close beside Pete, sitting straighter than normal. The only thing that seemed to calm you was when Pete reached out to your hand, placing his reassuringly over your own.

"Um, I know I'm not really up on this confusing crap," Doctor Venture started hastily, "but isn't Sphinx the bad guys?" 

"They were, but we annihilated the real Sphinx in the pyramid wars of '87," Hunter chipped in, waving his fist. 

"So, when we went rogue, we just went," Shore Leave added in, "hey, why don't we use these fresh costumes and all this sweet Egypt themed equipment we captured?" 

"You guys aren't with the OSI anymore?" Billy asked. 

"Hell no, son," Hunter replied sharply. "We all joined the OSI with pie-eyed dreams of saving the world from baddies, and what did we get? Hot bureaucracy poured in our laps." 

"As Sphinx, we can whip up foamy justice any way we want," Shore Leave added. 

"The OSI plays their game of tag with the guild," Sky Pilot continued, "but when someone refuses the costumed life, Sphinx!" 

"Sphinx!" Shore Leave exclaimed. 

"How did Y/N get into all of this?" Pete chimed in, opening the question to the full table. 

"I was the one that got her into the OSI," Brock mentioned with a light smirk. "After fighting along side her, I could see her spirit was incredible." 

"And whenever she did on-call missions for the OSI, she was always paired with either Sampson or myself," Hunter continued. "The OSI thought she was too close to those of us that they threw aside, so she came with. She refused to go full time with either." 

"I'm happy to help when needed," you cut in with a smirk. Turning to Pete, your eyes caught his handsome red ones, and you bit your lip gently. "It's been hell not telling you, but both the OSI and Sphinx have the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy." 

"Can we join?" Billy quipped with a large smile, causing you to roll your eyes. 

"Uh, speak for yourself, Billy," Pete said in an unamused tone, before turning back to you. "I just can't believe you were able to hide it, honestly. I thought you were just training a ton." 

"My skills have vastly improved between the OSI and Sphinx, and I've been able to keep the two of you safe," you said softly, giving him a sheepish smile. 

"Don't kid yourself, Short Round," Hunter chimed in, directed towards Billy. "You two are gonna wake up tomorrow with your memory wiped. How's the metal high five treating you these days?" 

"With all due respect," Billy replied, agitated, "I hate you." 

"I know!" Hunter replied excitedly. "And tomorrow, you will love me! Tomorrow, you won't know that you're protected by the best female operative that I have laid eyes upon." 

"You know," Doctor Venture said with a smile forming upon his face, "this is the answer to my problems. You guys just need to pay some back rent and sign some papers." 

"Wrong-o," Shore Leave replied. "Sphinx works in the shadows. We are ghosts." 

"I couldn't tell anyone about this," Brock said to Doctor Venture. "Doc, seriously, this is important work. Thats why we're all here. You have no idea how bad Y/N wanted to just tell White." 

"Absolutely," you murmured, squeezing White's hand gently and giving him a half-hearted smile. 

"You're here because you forgot to give me your keys," Doctor Venture quickly countered. 

"I mean why we're here on this planet," Brock countered exasperated. "We had to make sacrifices." 

"Like covering yourself in rotten eggs." Doctor Venture spat sarcastically. "Do you know how bad you smell? Why doesn't Y/N smell like that?" 

"Because I bathe at home, not with the guys," you said with an eye roll. 

"No, ass," Brock said, standing up and towering over Doctor Venture. "Like living next to the boys for a year and not being able to tell them that they're safe. That kinda sacrifice." 

"I had my pud removed, then reattached," Hunter chimed in. 

"I pretended that I became a religious fanatic," Shore Leave said. 

Sky Pilot chimed in, "I pretended to be in love with Shore Leave." 

"Oh!" Shore Leave exclaimed, offended, "And I pretended I liked having sex with him every night." 

"Uh, intruder at the front gate," Doctor Venture said awkwardly. 

"Intruder at the front gate," the Sphinx said in an ominous tone. "The Sphinx has spoken." 

"How much do you want for that watch of yours?" Hunter said quickly. "Ours is way too creepy." 


	24. XXIII

When Pete and Billy got ten thousand dollars invested into Conjectural Technologies, they had spent a hell of a lot on ridiculous things. All of those things seemed to take up residence around the camper, and you felt lucky that you were now sleeping in the same bed as Pete, mainly because Robo-bo took residence in the hallway. The last thing you wanted to wake up to was that robot with the Confederate flag on it's back. You had not said anything truly negative about their spending, but part of you realized why you did not give either of the men access to your funds. 

Pete was playing guitar hero on the couch, Billy sitting nearby him talking as you were lying down in the bed that Pete and you shared. In front of you lied your laptop, where you were working on another paper for school while the two were distracted. You could vaguely hear their conversation as you typed away, not focused enough to care about whatever the two were bickering about. 

"They looked straight at me," Billy complained to Pete in an uncomfortable tone. "Trust me, it was the same guys. We have to give it all back." 

"Everything?" You could hear Pete answer in a dejected tone. "What, the spelunking gear, the dune buggy, the--the pool table in the secret lab? Not the secret--Billy, not the lab."

"All that crap," Billy replied, throwing his hands out as he spoke. "Everything!"

"Everything?" Pete questioned, biting his lip nervously as he did so. 

"Everything?" Robo-bo asked, turning its creepy head towards the two of them. 

"What is that?" Billy asked as he glanced at the creepy robot in bewilderment. 

"Robo-bo," Pete explained in a happier tone, "our robotic butler/manservant in the imposing, yet familiar guise of Bo Duke. Don't act like we didn't talk about this." 

"Well, we didn't!" Billy countered. "You asked me which Duke Boy I liked better!" 

"And you said Bo, so ta-da!" Pete said exuberantly. "Robo-bo!" 

"Yeah, well I didn't think for a second you were goi-" he started, before realizing where his subject was, "we've got to give that horrible thing back, too. They are fucking vampires, and they're coming to such all my blood out."

"Billy," Pete said, rolling his eyes, "You're overreacting."

"Ya think?" Billy replied, exasperated. "Three creepy guys appear on our doorstep and hand us a check for like ten million dollars!"

"We are Conjectural Technologies!" Pete exclaimed. "It's perfectly normal for us to get investors, and if you think about it, the guy that brought Y/N to us was weird, too." 

"We sold our souls to vampires!" Billy replied panicking. "And yeah, that guy was supposedly the devil incarnate!" 

"We sold shares of our hot new company," Pete countered. "It's completely normal. The guy that dropped Y/N off was weirder, and I'm not seeing any shitty repercussions, just an awesome girlfriend." 

"Unlike Killinger, I just saw our shareholders materialize out of thin air, then steal the heart of a four hundred pound talking gorilla," Billy countered. "Is that normal?" A weird knock could be heard from the doorway. "They're here. Okay, I'm gonna tell them we're gonna give everything back, and that this was all a misunderstanding. Hand me my neck brace." 

"That's not gonna work," Pete said, grabbing the neck brace and handing it over to him. 

"Oh, it does," Billy said, "When the vampires try to bite my neck, they're gonna get nothing but a mouthful of foamy, cervical collar." 

"Door for Master Billy," Robo-bo said. 

"I'm gonna go fix this, okay?" Billy said uncomfortably, turning to White. "But if I don't return, you two come find me. Don't let them make me a vampire." He grabbed Pete by the lapels as he spoke out of desperation. "White, promise me." 

"Fine," Pete replied, his face a little uncomfortable as is. "I won't let them make you a vampire. Sheesh." 

"Oh, I'm glad you're here," Billy said, stepping out of the trailer to greet the investors. "We just had a silly misunderstanding." His voice went from calm to panicked as he continued. "No, no. No-no, please, no. No, no, no!" 

Pete's expression changed from calmed quickly to panicked as he threw the toy guitar off of himself, springing to his feet and running out of the trailer. "Billy?" He exclaimed. "Billy?!" 

"Master Billy left with his visitors," Robo-bo said to Pete, and Pete ran back into the camper in a panic. 

He practically threw the door open to the room the two of you shared, startling you. You closed up your computer quickly before rising to your feet. "Billy was taken by vampires!" He exclaimed, causing you to knit your brows together, not believing that it was truly vampires. 

You grabbed your keys quickly before the two of you quickly made your way to your car. The two of you sped off to the Venture Compound, his idea to to to Sphinx headquarters to get some help. "So, when you say vampires," you said calmly, staring straight at the road as you spoke to Pete, "what do you actually mean?" 

"Vampires!" He exclaimed, as if it was a normal thing. "Those creeps that bought ten million in stock for Conjectural Technologies."

"I did mention that it was odd they wanted to spend so much," you muttered with a frown. "Well, I don't think they're vampires, but regardless of what they are, we'll get him back." 

You had to hurry to catch up with Pete as he ran into SPHINX Headquarters. He exclaimed, holding up a check, "I have a check here for fifty thousand for whoever's helps me rescue Billy from vampires." 

Your brows knit together once more as you rested both your thumb and index finger on your temples, rubbing. In front of you stood Brock Sampson with a practically deadpan expression upon his face as he glanced back to his fellow operatives. You added in, "Not vampires per-say." 

"They were totally vampires," Pete countered, causing you to roll your eyes. 

"We're not mercenaries, White," Brock said with a cigarette in his mouth. "We handle the guys that nobody else wants to deal with."

"Well, that's perfect, because no one else wants to deal with me," Pete said quickly, causing you to roll your eyes. 

"Sweetheart," you said with a frown, stopping him before turning back to Brock Sampson, "Then how about paying to use your tracking equipment and I can get him myself?" 

Brock had Hunter come over and explain exactly what they do at Sphinx, going through the whole explanation before saying, "So tell me why would we give a squirt about your roommate being abducted by vampires?" 

"We're talking about Billy here!" White said exasperated. "You guys owe him! You did the--you know." 

"Spit it out, White!" Hunter said. "This I'd Sphinx. We have no secrets here. When men live and work together, it's imperative that there are no secrets. I miss my breasts! Inside of me, there is a woman screaming to be heard! I'm jealous that this woman has the tits of an 18 year old, though on the rather small side, and I do not."

When Hunter was speaking, he motioned to you, talking about your breasts, making you suddenly self conscious. You folded your arms against your chest as the other men told of the most disturbing things they had done recently, wondering if it would have been better to just go and get Billy from wherever yourself. You were not nearly as trained as these men, but it did not sound as if they were going to help at all. 

"You see, men don't have secrets!" Hunter said finally, looking back over at White. "Now, what are you talking about?" 

"Fine," Pete said exhausted. "You used Billy as a pawn to infiltrate the Guild of Calamitous Intent. You owe him." 

"Son, that wasn't us," Hunter said plainly. "That was the O.S.I. If I throw this pen at your head, are you gonna blame me, or have a little fist fight with the pen? Now get out and take that bribe with you." He threw the pen at his head, causing you to sigh as you had to just watch. "Wait! Where did you get this?" Hunter showed an eager smile as he stared down at the check that Pete had brought in with the two of you. 

"The vampires," Pete said, causing you to roll your eyes. "We get them every-" 

"Finally!" Hunter interrupted. "Sampson, Shore Leave, we got these bastards! Take a look at this!" 

"It's the investors alright," Shore Leave said, grabbing the check and glancing down at it. "You have more of these?" 

"That's the last one," Pete said with his hands up in a shrug. "We spent the others." 

"Well, you're in luck, White, Y/N," Sampson said quickly. "You're the only ones that have taken money from the investors and lived to panic about it." 

"That's settling," you said with a hint of sarcasm in your tone. 

"So you'll take the job?" Pete said excitedly. 

"Take the job?" Hunter said. "Pale face, we've been waiting for this job. You're not gonna be able to get rid of Sphinx!"

"Sphinx!" Shore Leave said excitedly. 

"I run out, and I swear I see Billy and the vampire guys disappear into thin air," Pete said. "It should have been me." 

Shore Leave glances over at you in questioning. You shrug uncomfortably, saying, "Don't look at me, I was in our room until Pete came to get me." 

"Hey, it'll be fine," Shore Leave said reassuringly, putting his arm around Pete. "We'll save him."

"It should have been me," Pete repeated, throwing his hands up. "I have that Malfoy, spike thing going on. I look way more vampire than Billy. Should've been me."

"Out of anyone, I would have preferred to get kidnapped," you chimed in, placing your hand in a comforting way on Pete's back, giving him a gentle, reassuring smile. 

"She is the scariest out of the three of you," Shore Leave said. "Especially after that whole Zero thing." 

"Shore Leave," Hunter called, getting the man's attention, "run this footprint soil through your thingy and see what's going on here." 

After Hunter had finished what he was saying, Robo-bo walked out of the trailer, saying, "Lemonade, gentlemen?" The robot was holding a tray with three glasses of lemonade as it walked uncomfortably over. 

Hunter immediately exclaimed, "Sweet Lord! What the hell is that?" He pointed in fear at the robot as he spoke, leaning away from it as he did. This caught everyone's attention, you taking your hand off of Pete's back as you all walked over. 

"Robo-bo," Pete said enthusiastically. "Yeah, I got it off the internet. They also make a Robo-Starsky, Robo-Crockett, and Robo-the-Fatman." 

"It's disgusting!" Hunter said. "I thought small tits was your maid. At least she's nicer on the eyes. Just about anything would be nicer on the eyes."

"Why does it walk like it has to take a dump?" Brock asked. 

Thankfully everyone's attention was taken away from Robo-bo as Shore Leave said, "Oh, here's something." Everyone turned to see Shore Leave crouched in front of his computer, glancing up at the group as he spoke. "There's salt in their tracks. Ocean water. Saline at 3.4 Atlantic, somewhere near the equator."

"Then that's where we're going!" Hunter exclaimed. "You ever fix our submarine?" 

You felt Pete grab your hand with his own slender fingers entangling with your own. Giving his hand a reassuring squeeze, you saw a slight half smile grace his lips as his red eyes glanced over at you.

"Puhlease!" Shore Leave said, motioning with his hand for extra effect. "We just shoveled dirt on what was left of it." 

"I think I can get us a boat," Brock said quickly.

"If we're taking a boat somewhere, we got to stop for sunscreen," Pete said in a completely serious tone. After all, everyone always overlooked how bad the sun actually affected him. Everyone except for you, but you were in love with the albino man, after all. 

"You're a civilian," Hunter replied hastily, "and you're annoying. I'm not even letting small tits go. This is a job for Sphinx." Hunter then glanced over at Shore Leave, staring at him expectantly. He even motioned his hand as he had not said anything. 

"What?" Shore Leave asked in a confused tone. 

"I thought you were gonna--" Hunter said, before getting cut off by the gay man. 

"Oh, uh, Sphinx!" Shore Leave said quickly, realizing what Hunter was getting at. 

"Oh, we'll rescue your little friend," Hunter started, before Shore Leave cut him off again. 

"Yeah, friend--friend," Shore Leave said in emphasis, clearly implying that your boyfriend was gay.

"I have a girlfriend," Pete said, his eyes narrowing at Shore Leave as he listed your intertwined hands. 

"But you two are going to a safe house!" Hunter said in a serious tone, eyeing the two of you down as he pointed. You grimaced at the fact that Sphinx was not going to allow you to help, though you could at least comfort your boyfriend to keep him from freaking out too much. 

They had at least allowed you to drive your car over to the Venture Compound, as they had instructed you that you must stay in the Venture panic room until they fully took care of the investors. Despite driving, the two of you had kept your hands connected the entire time. Though it always felt right to have his fingers intertwined with your own, you were also hoping that it kept him comforted. 

In the panic room, you were hoping that the two of you would have at least been alone. When they had instructed Sergeant Hatred to keep the two of you safe, you were admittedly a little dejected at the idea. It was even worse as he would not stop talking about his ex girlfriend. 

For the most part, you tuned him out as you sat against the wall with Pete, his arm around you. He held you close as the two of you waited, curled close together. Sergeant Hatred had finally gotten your attention when he said, "How do you two do it? You've been together since back when I was arching Venture."

Pete glanced over at you, his red eyes locking with yours for a moment before glancing over at Sergeant Hatred. "Honestly, I have no idea why she stays with me," he said with a soft chuckle. 

You rolled your eyes, saying, "Pete may be questionable at times, but he makes me happy. I would do anything for him. To keep anything sustainable, the proper chemistry coinciding with respect, communication, and dedication is necessary."

"Maybe I didn't listen to her enough," Hatred said with a frown upon his face. "You two are just so cute together." 

Somehow, how cute the two of you were together turned into Hatred taking a guitar out, singing an absolutely horrible song that he had just made up about Princess Tinyfeet. The two of you went from your comfortable position to both attempting to block out the song while covering your ears. He actually ended up pulling you between his legs at one point, using his arms to shield your ears as he held his own ears, your hands resting upon his legs. 


	25. XXIV

It had been hours since you had first been sent to the Venture Compound's panic room, still stuck in the same room as Sergeant Hatred. By this point, Hatred set up two sleeping bags, saying, "I can only find two in here. Sorry, guys." 

"It's fine," Pete said quickly with a shrug. Unzipping the sleeping bag, he crawled in first before allowing you to lay down beside him. He pulled you incredibly close to him so the sleeping bag would fit over the two of you perfectly. The warmth of his arms would have been enough for you, but the little extra warmth of the sleeping bag did make the panic room a little more tolerable. 

You turned your head back to him to quickly press your lips against his own. Since this whole situation had started, you had not gotten the proper peace and quiet you wanted with your boyfriend. His warm, passionate lips moving in sync against your own did manage to feel calm and comfortable. 

As the two of you separated, he held you closely, whispering in your ear, "I love you." 

"I love you, too," you whispered back, exhausted, a light smile against your lips. 

The two of you had not fallen asleep right away, though you were fully entangled in one another. You could even feel Pete's slender legs wrapped around your own as the two of you lied, admittedly causing you a great deal more comfort. Though you would have fallen asleep rather quickly, Sergeant Hatred interrupted it. 

"Don't worry, White, they'll end up getting your best friend back," Hatred said in an affirmative, positive way, waking you up more as he spoke. 

You had to stop yourself from groaning at the man for interrupting your slumber. "He's not my best friend," Pete countered. "I work with him. I've always seen Rusty as my best friend." 

"You're a star fucker, White," Hatred scolded, causing you to roll your eyes. Though in actuality, Billy was much more of a faithful friend to Pete than Doctor Venture was, you personally just wanted to fall asleep in your boyfriend's comfortable arms. 

"Am not," he said, agitated. "Rusty and I went to college together."

They had eventually stopped their banter back and forth, much to your relief. Pete leaned his head forward and placed a gentle kiss upon your neck before resting his head in the crook of your neck. You felt so comfortable cuddled up with him, no matter where the two of you were. It did not take long for you to finally fall asleep comfortably with the handsome man that you loved. 

  
  



	26. XXV

“Alright, people, I don’t have to tell you how important this mission is,” Doctor Venture stated, pacing back and forth in front of you all with Billy following close behind, holding a clipboard. “The targets should already be familiar to all of you, as should your assigned roles.” He paused, holding up a picture of Hank and Dean Venture in front of Blackula Slayer. “My assistant is distributing your final itineraries, and some of the details have changed, so let’s review.” Doctor Venture then stopped in front of Brock Sampson first. “Sampson?”

“Transportation,” he said affirmatively.

“Have you acquired a vehicle yet?” Doctor Venture asked, his eyes signalling Brock out with a drawn gaze. 

“Affirmative,” Brock replied. “Sphinx commandeered a limo in our last job in Paraguay."

“Perfect,” he said in satisfaction, “And, uh, glad to have you back, Sampson.” His eyes then shifted to the next in line. “Hatred?”

“Security,” Sergeant Hatred said with a salute. “I am to secure the-”

“Sergeant, what the hell’s going on with your face?”

“You like it?” he asked with a smile. “It’s a big V.”

“So, what, are you like Sargent Vatred now?”

“Nah, it stands for Venture,” Hatred replied with a shrug. “I had all the others removed except for the ‘D’. Cause let me tell you, those are tender vittles down there.”

Doctor Venture then turned to Pete, saying, “White?”

“Aural Enhancement,” he said with a smirk. 

“Where’s your equipment?” he asked suspiciously. 

White held up a remote looking control, saying, “This is all I need.”

“Y/N?” Doctor Venture said, his eyes staring directly into your soul as you glanced back down at the paper in your hands. 

You felt like cringing, but you simply kept your mouth shut about how stupid your job actually was. “Adult entertainment,” you murmured out. 

“What?!” Pete said with his jaw almost dropped, glancing over at Rusty with a glare. “Everyone understands that she’s  _ my _ girlfriend, right?”

“White, calm down,” Doctor Venture replied, acting like the whole job you had was no big deal. “You’ll have your turn, and she’s just there to keep us entertained. Nothing sexual - I swear!” He threw his hands up as he said it. 

White rolled his eyes and let out a sigh, his red eyes landing upon you. You gave him a reassuring half smile, before whispering in his ear, “He didn’t have enough to buy enough escorts.”

“Orpheus?” Doctor Venture said, turning to the necromancer.

“Refreshments,” he replied. “Now, I’ve acquired the recipe for an enchanted kind of spiced fruit punch. 

“Non-alcoholic, I’d assume?” Hatred cut in. 

“Of course,” Orpheous replied. “And for hors d'oeuvres we have vegan spring rolls.”

“Vegan?” Doctor Venture exclaimed. “Come on, Orpheous! Get with the program! I want to see pigs in blankets. I want to hear fajitas sizzling, comprende? And I’ve got to have my baked clams - got it?” Then he turned to the next in line. “Al?”

“Decorating committee,” he said in an exhausted tone. “Big surprise.”

“Status?” Doctor Venture asked with an eyebrow raised. 

“Single, but looking,” Al joked with a large smile.

“Of the decorations,” Doctor Venture replied in an unamused tone. 

“You’ve got to get me a bigger budget,” he replied. 

“Um, submit a petty cash request to my assistant,” he replied. “Billy, make sure you get receipts.” 

“Twilight?”

“Custodian?!” he replied. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Alright, people,” Doctor Venture said. “We launch at 2100 hours. Synchronize watches.” He glanced down at his watch, setting it using the wrong function. “At my mark, it will be 17:01, no, 17:02, 17:03, 17:04, wait, this is way too fast. What? Oh!” His face was bashful as he explained the problem. “I had it on stopwatch mode. Okay, the time is now...tetris. Never mind! Everyone just be dressed and ready in like an hour, okay?” He glanced at all of you, scanning the room. “Any questions? Dean?”

Dean asked, “Um, what’s our mission?”

“Your mission?” Doctor Venture asked, a smile building upon his face. “Your mission is to have the best goddamned home-school prom $500 can buy!”


	27. XXVI

The two of you were in the Venture Compound’s bathroom, both getting dressed for the prom event. You wore a long, curve hugging black dress with hot pink pinstripes, while he wore a pinstripe black suit with his lucky shirt underneath. His red eyes glanced over to you as he was adjusting his tie in the mirror. “So, why did you even agree to that?” he asked with a little bit of malice in his voice. 

You rolled your eyes, letting out a gentle sigh. “Because we made a deal,” you said as you adjusted your dress. “I go through and dance with the adult guests - and probably Hank, and in return we get a little alone time as well.”

“We get that regardless,” he countered with an eye roll. 

You shrugged before leaning up and kissing him on his pale cheek, causing him to blush a bit. “Though you being jealous is cute, you have no reason to be,” you said softly. 

“You better be getting paid for this,” he said with a frown. 

Chuckling softly, you said, “Paid in cash, already in hand, don’t worry.” 

He let out a relieved sigh, saying, “Good.”

“Now, let’s go get you set up before Mr. Impatient starts complaining,” you said with a soft smile, grabbing him by the hand and lead him out. You wove your fingers with his as the two of you walked, his slender hand giving you a reassuring squeeze. “By the way, you look absolutely stunning.”

He chuckled, blush rising upon his face as he gave you a side glance, his lips forming a smile. “Babe, you have no clue how jealous I’m going to be watching my beautiful girlfriend dancing with anyone but me,” he replied. 

You squeezed his hand reassuringly, blush forming on your own face. “It’s only for tonight,” you said softly. “Just remember I’m always yours, as long as you’ll have me.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said with a smile. 

The two of you made it up to the top of the balcony, you helping him set up the actual equipment that he was using. Though it was all controlled using a remote, he did have some complicated looking equipment. Billy was up there waiting for the two of you and was looking through the song list. “What even are half of these songs?” Billy said as he was looking down the list. 

You cleared your throat, causing Billy to look over at you. “I, uh, helped him with the set list,” you clarified with a soft smile. “Though I did approve of all of his choices, they were not really things I could see the kids dancing to...or really the adults, either.” 

“They were classics!” Pete retorted, causing you to chuckle. 

“I know, I know,” you said shrugging, giving him a soft smile. “I’ve also attended more proms, though.”

Billy laughed at the two of you before going back to what he needed to do. The set up was almost complete and he dimmed the lights. With the actual set up of the dance, it did look a little more like a disco than a prom, but you were not going to question the alchemist that was setting up the actual decor. 

“Remember, sweetheart, when ‘I Do Adore’ is about to come on is when Doctor Venture agreed for our time together,” you said softly, reaching out and running a gentle thumb against his cheekbone. 

He blushed softly at your touch, though it was hard to see with the darkened lights. His lips pouted softly as he said, “And until then I have to watch you down there.”

You rolled your eyes, a smile tugging at your lips. “Watching me counting the minutes until your break, yes,” you said sweetly before placing a long, gentle peck upon his lips. 

Doctor Venture announced the start of the prom, the few escorts that he had managed to pay for arriving directly behind his sons. He greeted them rather provocatively and you had to line up with them as the men chose who they wanted first. The first one to choose you was shockingly the henchman of the monarch, 21. Though he was sheepish about it, you led him to the dance floor with a dainty hand. 

“You know, I really don’t know how to dance,” he said awkwardly, causing you to chuckle. 

Giving him a soft smile, you said, “Just follow my lead.” The two of you danced to a few faster songs before getting to a slow song, having to place his hands where they were supposed to be, since he had genuinely not danced with a girl before. “You know, I may be here for entertainment, but you can talk to me. You look troubled.”

“It’s been a long day,” he said with a soft sigh. “I came here to bury my best friend’s skull because he won’t stop talking to me, and I think I’m in love with my boss’s wife. To top it all off, I don’t even think I’m actually a bad guy.”

“Hey, hey,” you said in a soothing tone. “21, or can I call you Gary? I want to start off by telling you, I may not know you well, but you helped us more than a few times. Personally, you should do what you feel is right. To me, you don’t seem like a bad guy. You could do a lot of good, and you have.” The two of you kept dancing as you spoke, though he was staring directly into your eyes as you danced. He had seemed to figure out how to follow your steps already and had not stepped on your feet more than twice. “Secondly, grief is hard. It’s hard to let go, and once you do let go, it’ll take time, but you’ll be better. The boss’s wife is a tricky thing, though, and I do hope you find someone that makes you as happy - someone you can put in high regards. You deserve someone that cares about you the same that you care about them.”

Tears began forming in his eyes and he pulled you into a hug, feet planted firmly in place. “They’re gone,” he whispered, tears continually falling. 

You wrapped your arms around him, patting him gently on the back. “It’s hard to believe, but you’ll feel better with time,” you whispered to him softly. He began wiping his tears, finally letting go of you. “I’m sure my daughter’s already feeling better, and you will as well.”

“Thank you,” Henchman 21 said with a soft smile before leaving you on the dance floor. 

You were about to walk away to find who you were supposed to dance with next before you felt a gruff hand tapping upon one of your slender shoulders. You whipped around quickly to be faced with piercing green eyes. “Scream and I will ruin this whole night,” you were instructed by Y/E/N in a deep voice. “I was told you were entertainment, and you will dance with me.”

Your eyes glanced over to Doctor Venture in a glare before you let a sigh escape your lips. “You’re not here on arching?” you clarified, giving him a stern gaze. 

He shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips. “I heard about this little prom thing, and could not help but bring back some memories,” he said before taking your hand, spinning you around. The two of you danced to the faster song, staying in sync. “Doesn’t this bring back wonderful memories for you?”

“Memories from before you killed me?” you whispered to him, malice clear in your voice. “Before you went crazy, sure, I remember prom.” Giving him a stern glare, you continued. “You understand I’m taken, right?”

You watched as his lips curled into a smirk, saying, “I came with a date, but I couldn't help but relish in the old times.” Another slow song came on, him pulling you to him harshly, hands upon your waist. He held you a little too close as the two of you dance, your arms around his neck as you danced. “Sometimes I miss you, Y/N/N.”

You rolled your eyes and you could definitely tell that your boyfriend was glaring daggers upon the two of you without even looking up at him. “I was just talking to that last man about letting go,” you said in a whisper. “Maybe we should have the same conversation.”

“Why do you hate me so much?” he spat in a whisper. “You hated me while we were together, when we weren’t, and now even after you’ve been given a second chance at life. When will you let that go?”

“Once you let me go,” you replied sternly. “If you stop trying to kill me and my boyfriend every chance you get, I would be able to let go of that hate. Do you even truly understand why I hate you?”

“Because of your sweet little daughter,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I know the story.”

You let out a huff. “She was your daughter, too,” you said with venom laced in your voice. “I told you that I cheated on you because you used to beat me. Do you really think I wanted that for her?”

“Who’s the evil one now?” he said, a frown apparent on his face. “You did not even allow me to know my own daughter.”

“It was for her  _ safety _ , Y/E/N,” you said with a glare. “We’re both in this dimension now anyhow. Go make your own family.” 

“You know something, Y/N,” he growled out in barely over a whisper. “You’re coming with me.” His hands tightened upon you harshly, rage glowing in his deep green eyes. You could not help but feel yourself begin to shake as you stared at the man, speechless. Though you had seen a great deal of arching from your ex, you had not expected him to straight up kidnap you - especially not now. “Or, if you’d rather, I could kill your little boy toy instead.”

Your eyes shifted over to your boyfriend, who was blissfully unaware of the situation actually at hand. From your boyfriend, they switched to glance around the room, everyone unaware and engulfed in their own little worlds, enjoying themselves at this relatively lame prom. Admittedly, you did not wish to ruin the boys prom with bloodshed, nor did you want Pete to get hurt. Biting your lip nervously, you said, “Walk with me outside, and then kidnap me,” your voice shaky as you spoke. “You have nothing against the Venture brothers, just me.”

“Oh, my dear, you will be coming willingly with me,” he said in a sickening voice, smirk growing upon his face. “Shall we?” The two of you shifted positions, and he grabbed firmly onto your arm as he walked close to you outside. You could feel a gun pressed to your back as you walked, daring you to try to get away from him. Part of you felt like crying, leaving Pete in there with no explanation. No one truly knew what your dear old ex looked like, and in hindsight, you wished you would have at least told someone. 


	28. XXVII

_ I just looked away for a second, _ Pete cursed himself, lips tight as his red eyes scanned the room over and over. You had just disappeared into thin air, it had seemed. Though there was the guarding of Sergeant Hatred as security, he could not help but feel a pit grow in his stomach, warning him. He left his post unmanned as he went to go find someone who may know where you went. After all, though he had the birds eye view of the dance floor, they were all closer to it than he. Doctor Venture looked  _ busy _ , so he first approached Billy, pulling him to the side quickly. 

“White, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Billy told his friend in a concerned tone, glancing up at him. “What’s going on?”

“Y/N’s missing,” he said, panic rising in his tone. “She was dancing with some guy, and now she’s gone. I know what it sounds like, but, Billy we both know Y/N--she ain’t like that!”

“White, calm down,” Billy replied in a gentle tone. "You know she can handle herself." 

Pete took a deep breath, trying to calm down, and had not realized that you had snuck up behind him. Thankfully it had not taken you long to disarm your ex, sending him running. Though you did now adorn blood splatters between the bottom of your dress and upon your arm, you had been dying to be with your handsome boyfriend. 

Wrapping your arms around his waist, he practically jumped at the touch. When he flipped around to see you, he let out a breath he did not know he was holding. "Ah, jeez, there you are," he said softly, the two of you separating as he spoke. "Where did you go?" 

You laughed awkwardly, saying, "Well, Y/E/N showed up and tried kidnapping me, threatening your life, all that happy shit." 

He frowned, saying, "Well, that explains the blood on you." 

You nodded, frowning. "I'm sorry for worrying you, sweetheart," you said softly, a little ashamed, though it wasn't truly your fault. 

As the DJ of the party, he had known the song that you said you were allowed to dance with him starting at, and suddenly he reached his hand out to you. "May I have this dance?" He said with a smile tugging upon his lips. 

"It's not like I've been waiting all night," you said sarcastically, a smile tugging upon your own lips as you took his hand. The two of you made your way to the dance floor while  _ I Do Adore  _ by Mindy Gledhill played. It was not particularly the slowest song, but the two of you still danced closely as it played. 

His arms were wrapped around your waist, while your arms were tightly around his neck, both holding one another as close as possible. While the two of you danced, you could not seem to take your eyes off of his own red eyes, staring down at you with adoration. "Y/N," he whispered as he stared down at you. "You know I love you more than anything, right?" 

You could not fight the blush that blossomed upon your face as he spoke, saying, "As I love you more than you could possibly imagine." 

His voice was nervous as he spoke, though you could see the light blush that was captured upon his pale cheeks as well. "I can't picture myself with anyone but you, you know," he said softly, his voice wavering as he spoke. "And if you'll have me…" Pete paused, pulling something out of his pocket as he wriggled out of your grasp, moving to one knee. Holding out the box he had taken out of his pocket, he opened it, showing a modest ring with y/f/c gems on either side of a small diamond. "...will you marry me, Y/N?" 

You could feel your heart practically leap out of your chest as you saw the handsome albino man kneeling in front of you, holding an engagement ring out to you. The two of you had been together for so long, and yet you had never expected him to ask. Happiness washed over you, a brilliant smile upon your face as you nodded. "Yes, Pete, of course I'll marry you," you said quickly, excitement clear in your voice. 

Before he got back up, he slipped the ring upon your finger, placing a soft kiss upon your hand. Once he stood back up, you practically jumped on him as you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him into a passionate kiss. You had not cared by this point who was watching as the two of you kissed slowly, savoring one another. 

As the two of you separated lips, lungs practically gasping for air, you felt his slender arms pull you tighter to you, continuing your dance. It had turned to a slower song by this point,  _ All About Us  _ by He is We. No matter how shitty they had their home school prom, where your arch enemy and Venture's arch enemy had both crashed the party, it would still be a night you would never forget. You were officially engaged to the handsome albino man that you adored. 


	29. XXVIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello, any new readers, or current readers of this fic. 
> 
> I made a tidbit of a mistake (because I got too excited about uploading it and jumped around a bit while I was writing this initially). A few chapters will be added between this one and the last (or I will simply postpone wedding and do some editing of the formal relationship tags). That I have not quite decided on yet. This fic will be edited as a whole soon as well.

"Just please rethink this," Billy said with an unsure voice as he stood by White. 

Pete had a smile upon his face as he said, "Dude, this'll work." His face was almost cocky as he continued. "I know these things. I'm a scientist." 

You took a tired glance up at the two of them, seeing as it was rather late. On top of it, you had just gotten off of your college schedule merely a few weeks prior and were still adjusting. The two eager scientists were still fully unaware of your triumph, though, or really the reason why you seemed so exhausted for the last six months. 

"A computer scientist," Billy countered. "This is dangerous!" 

"Trust," Pete said with a smile, leaning closer to Billy as he held the beaker full of mouthwash. 

You couldn't help but roll your eyes at the two men, bickering as you often heard them do. Pete was convinced that his idea would work, and though it was a little far fetched, you simply watched the two. 

"You can't put mouthwash into cookie batter," Billy said in disbelief. "It's idiotic! Y/N, back me up here."

"You know I can't argue against him," you countered, picking your head up more as you gazed at the two making cookies. "It's inhumane." Your voice had a teasing nature to it, and you could not hide the light smile that tugged up your tired lips. 

"There's like flouride and crap in it," Billy continued in an exasperated tone. 

Pete quickly countered, "Fluoride is good for you, and try to deny that mint chocolate chip is the best cookie. Right, Y/N?"

"Why do you two always insist I get involved?" You said with a soft chuckle, before yawning. "But, fine, fine, Pete's right. I can't deny that either." 

"You always take his side!" Billy argued. "I bet if he said drilling to the earth's core was a good idea, you'd go along with it!" 

You crossed your arms, rolling your eyes. "Yes, I would obviously allow him to drill down to the Earth's core," you said, your words laced with heavy sarcasm. "I do know the difference between harmless and completely dangerous suggestions." 

As Billy was about to counter back, the whole trailer shook, causing the two of them to glance up in shock. You, on the other hand, were almost too tired to care. Though you were curious, it was likely their arch enemy, and he was rather docile in comparison to your own." 

"To the Quiz Cave!" Billy said excitedly, grabbing Pete by the shoulder. 

Both of them had excited looks upon your face, and you could not help but find joy in how much they seemed to enjoy their archings. They were dying for an arch enemy for the longest time, while you would be much happier if yours had just left you the hell alone. Currently, your arch was leaving you alone, to your own relief. It may have been the fact that he had been proven wrong, though there was no real way that you knew of that he would be aware of it.

Their Quiz Cave, where they would become Quizboy and The Pink Pilgrim, was a secret lab they had built underneath the trailer itself. How they managed to do that was beyond you, and yet they had. It was rather an impressive set up, but you rarely went down there yourself. 

Pete ran over to you and gave you a quick peck on the lips, saying, "Watch the house, please." 

The smile he gave you afterwards was something that you could never say no to. It was just too adorable, after all. "If you guys need me, let me know," you called out tiredly, before shoving yourself into a seated position. You grabbed your knife from your regular spot, gripping it tightly in your hand, despite your exhaustion. 

Sitting and waiting, you had expected that what St. Cloud was doing outside was merely a distraction. That was confirmed as you watched the door open, you springing to your feet. "Don't even think about it, Cloud," you spat through gritted teeth. 

Face to face with Cloud, he simply smirked and said, "Pie Wei," and the fast albino man had popped out from some spot that he had apparently snuck to as you were looking at St. Cloud, quickly wrapping your armed hand behind your body, twisting your arm until you fell to your knees. "Oh, poor, tired Doctor Y/N White," he said in a calm voice. "Though I did not plan on using you as a bargaining chip, I know your albino will agree right away." The man grabbed a red bouncing ball from the home as well before taking you back to his Robert. 

"Why haven't you, like, tied me up or something?" You said as you were still being led somewhat forcefully by the small Asian albino. You had been taken quickly to the rich man's home, Pie Wei connected to your arms the whole way. 

"I am already aware of your agreement with Quizboy and your albino," he stated in a monotone voice, a small smirk tugging upon his lips. "You are not allowed to harm me." 

You rolled your eyes, sighing. "That would be why I was watching the house, but you're the one that kidnapped me," you said in an exhausted tone. "And wait - did you call me Doctor?" 

"You did receive your PhD after all," he said, almost praising. "Though your minor was a little questionable." 

"What's wrong with having options?" You said with a huff, though you were rudely cut off by Cloud calling the two men you live with on a large screen in front of his bed. He laid there while you stood with Pie Wei holding your arms a little too roughly, though you were well aware that if you were to break out, you would be infringing on the promise you made to the two men. 

"Fools," he said, laying upon his bed with his chin resting in his hand as he stared at the screen. "Will you never learn? While you wasted your efforts on a harmless monster truck, I had all the time in the world to steal this from you." He held up the red rubber bouncing ball in his hand, causing you to roll your eyes. 

"No!" Billy gasped. "The holiest of holies." 

"The source of all our power," Pete added in, equally shocked. 

"You won't get away with it, St. Cloud!" Billy exclaimed, tightening his fists in malice. 

"I just did, Billy," Cloud replied, unamused. "Oh, boo. It'll be too late to stop me by the time you find my mountain hideaway. So...maybe next year. Maybe no go." 

"To the conjectu-craft!" Billy exclaimed, pointing his whole hand out. 

"Uh, hey, uh, I have a teeth-cleaning appointment first thing in the morning," Pete complained. "Hey, can we do this tomorrow? Like, 10:00, 10:30?" 

"Well...I do have a bunch of things I flaked on," St Cloud replied, "so I'm down for that." 

You grimaced, turning your head back to the albino that was holding you by the arm. "Could I at least have my arms back?" You said, a little agitated. 

"Wait, was that Y/N?" Billy asked quickly. 

Pete frowned, saying, "It sounded like it." 

"I almost forgot," he said, pointing his hand over to where you were being held. "Pei Wei, you may let go of our guest. She won't be going anywhere." 

"Why did you have to capture my wife, too?" Pete said exhaustedly. "Wait, how did you even catch her?"

"Because someone told me not to use force against  _ their  _ arch enemy," you said offscreen, crossing your arms in aggravation. 

"Oh, don't you worry, she will be treated as any guest should," he said in a bored tone. "Okay, so uh, I will get you, Quizboy, at a reasonable hour." You watched as St. Cloud pressed a button, ending the transmission, before his bored, sunglass covered eyes turned over to you and the Asian albino standing next to you. "Pei Wei, go show the Doctor to her room." 

Silently, the man led you out of the generously sized room and through a long hallway. Neither of you said a word, as you both were well aware that you did not plan to escape. If something were to go awry, you knew that you would do just about anything to leave this man's mansion, but as it stood currently, you would only have to wait a little while to see your husband feel as if he saved you. He, after all, had often been your damsel in distress, so it would likely be calming to have that change. 

The walk seemed to take forever down the hallway, until a door was opened in front of you, the man simply motioning his hand for you to enter. As your eyes scanned the room, it was undoubtedly huge. The bed was not nearly as extravagant as the one you had seen St. Cloud in, but it was much larger than the one you had at home. It was not a shock to you, though, that the room went along with a similar color scheme as the other, with purple linens covering the bed, four pillows at the head. 

"T-thanks," you said awkwardly, dismissing the albino manservant that St Cloud owned. 

It was a good thing that you were undoubtedly exhausted, as you fell asleep almost immediately in the soft bedding. You missed lying next to your slender, warm husband, but with how drained you actually were, you did not have issues sleeping. 


	30. XXIX

In the morning, the asian albino man knocked politely upon your door. Quickly, you answered it, finding it a little unfortunate that you had not had a spare pair of clothes.  _ This is technically a kidnapping, after all,  _ you reassured yourself hastily, before following the asian albino to a large dining room. The table was almost Beauty and The Beast style length, and the dishes that were set out were definitely not cheap either. 

"I do hope you enjoyed the room, as well as the breakfast my albino has prepared," he said in his normal bored voice as he motioned to the food. 

You were set in the middle of the long table, while he was set up at one of the ends. The craftsmanship on the table was something of what looked to be authentic and incredibly dated, though you were shocked the man had not already bragged about something that he had. "Yes, thank you," you said in a soft voice before sitting down with your meal. Consisting of egg with a side of bacon, with another side of a fruit salad, you were actually shocked that it was so nicely prepared. As you ate, you could not help but enjoy the flavors. Everything even tasted rich, including the coffee. 

"I only get the best ingredients straight from their country of origin, including Columbia cacao beans," he finally said as the two of you were eating breakfast. 

You allowed your lips to curl into a soft smile, saying, "That is truly wonderful," before finishing up your food. Your portion size was significantly smaller than St. Cloud's, which was a good assumption from the cook. "May I ask you something?" 

"Do make it quick, as I need to tie up some loose ends before Quizboy and your albino arrive," he replied as he continued eating his food. 

Taking in a deep breath, you said, "Why is it you're treating me so well, if I may ask?" After realizing how it sounded, you clarified further. "I greatly appreciate it, but don't you hate Quizboy and The Pink Pilgrim." You put air quotes up as you said their superhero names, as you did find it a little silly, though you had to admit Pete's outfit was incredibly attractive. 

"I have no true qualms with you," he stated in a bored manner, finishing up his meal. "I do have an alternative motive as to why I am showing you the wealthier side of life. Doctor Y/N, I have done my research through the Guild, and you are more than capable of having a life such as this. That is simply with your savings, not to mention that you have received your PhD, as well as minoring in  _ psychology _ ." 

"And you wonder why I don't live the high life, or even give the boys a proper taste of it?" You asked curiously, getting a tentative nod in response. 

"Indeed, as unlike myself, you care for both of them," he quipped. 

You had to stifle a chuckle as you thought of how to word what you were going to say. "Most if my savings prior to the inheritance was frivolously wasted," you said bluntly, "Upon men and women that did not deserve it." Shrugging, you glanced from the table to St. Cloud himself before continuing once more. "If they were to ask for a house on a hill, necessary comforts, I would gladly spend towards those things. I prefer having a safety fund in case anything were to happen." 

"Oh, boo," he said. "The higher you climb up the latter, the higher level the arch enemy to come after you, though." 

"It's unfortunate," you said with a light sigh. "Though as long as Y/E/N arches me, I doubt there will be any predecessors. He killed me once already." 

The man let out a laugh, something you had not expected him to be able to do. "It seems you have not heard that Y/E/N relinquished his arching privileges of you," he said slyly, causing your mouth to fall agape. "He learned that he had lost some silly bet with you. Anyways, Pei Wei has a befitting outfit that was sewn by my tailor for you to wear for the festivities. Hurry and get ready." 

You rose to your feet, following the asian albino man from the dining hall to where you presumed one of his bathrooms was. There had to have been a minimum of fifty rooms in the entire mansion, after all. He handed you a red, seemingly expensive cloth along with a towel for you to use. Taking it from his hands hesitantly, you gave him a thankful smile before shutting the door. 

You set the clothing and towel down before stepping into the shower. Part of you wondered, as you had seen the brand new soap, conditioner, and shampoo, if he had been thinking of kidnapping you before. Everything looked fresh and clean, as if no one had used this bathroom prior. 

Turning on the water, you hesitantly tried it with your fingertips before stepping in. Allowing the warm water to cascade down your body, you could not help but think about what was to come.  _ What would Billy's arch enemy have planned for him? _ you wondered, knowing full well that he would not be going through the trouble pampering you to allow you to watch your husband die, nor his small friend. 

Augustus St Cloud was indeed a strange villain, and maybe a little too thorough. You thought about that as you slipped on the dress that he had his tailor prepare for you, which had actually fit you perfectly. It was incredibly odd, glancing in the mirror at your reflection. Taking advantage of the fact that there was a hair dryer, you dry your hair, making sure to keep the heat away from the expensive looking dress. 

Once you had checked yourself about four times in the mirror, admiring the craftsmanship of the dress, you stepped out of the bathroom to find the asian albino standing right outside of it waiting to direct you. He had directed you to another room, this one being incredibly odd to you. The entire room looked like it should have been on a Pink Floyd album, and he motioned for you to sit in a chair opposite of the other two chairs. 

Once you had sat in the chair, your arms were pulled behind you before the ropes were tied around your abdomen as well as your wrists. Surprisingly they were not incredibly tight, though it was much different than the treatment of earlier.  _ This must mean it's about 10:30, _ you thought to yourself as you stared at the enigmatic room. 

Your eyes fixated upon the two seats on the other side of the room, wondering when they would be filled by your two companions. Further, you wondered what the point was with all of this, especially with how comfortable and even kind of sexy the dress was on you. 


	31. XXX

Standing outside of St Cloud's mansion gates, Pete White and Billy Quizboy stared at the gate, the conjectu-craft hovering with Ro-Boy manning the controls. Billy had already told White that they would not be flying the conjectu-craft into the compound, and Pete was a little aggravated. "Dude, why are you complicating this?" He asked in an exasperated voice. "Why don't we just fly in and storm his estate with lasers blazing?" 

Billy put up his hand, counting all the problems wrong with that tactic. "One, we don't have lasers to blaze," he started. "Two, I just repaired the conjectu-craft from the last time we did that. Oh, and three, your wife is in there." 

"Ugh, fine," Pete huffed. Turning to the craft, he motioned, saying, "Okay, park it. You're wasting ionized phosphates." The conjectu-craft was set down with a heavy clunk, causing both men to cringe a little. "We really need to put wheels on that or something."

"I'll use my Quizboy grappling hand!" Billy exclaimed, clearly getting into the whole situation. He peeled his glove off quickly, before aiming his metal arm at the top of the gate and launching it. Within seconds, the hand made contact with the top of the gate, staying in place. 

With wide, almost disappointed eyes, Pete said, "That's it? It doesn't pull you up?" 

"Where would I hide the pneumatic gears for that?" Billy said matter-of-factly. "My arm would be all huge, like The Man Whose Arms Exploded Guy. Just climb it." 

"Ugh," Pete said in disgust as he began to climb up on Billy, onto the extended arm. "That was the single most frightening thing ever aired on TV." Pete climbed up a little bit, to the point that his foot was just passed Billy's head. 

"Ow!" Billy grunted out. "Ah! Oh-oh! Dude, stop! Let go! Stop!" Billy's face was contorted in pain as Pete climbed off of it, turning to him. 

"What?" Pete asked. 

"That kills," Billy replied hastily. "This thing is attached to my nerves!" 

"Great design, Billy," Pete replied sarcastically. 

Billy began recanting his idea by trying to draw his hand back. He said, "Eeh, I can't get my hand off this thing. White, what are you doing?" 

Pete went right up to the fancy doorbell, saying, "Yeah, hey, it's Conjectural Technologies. Can you capture us already?" A buzzer sounded, followed by the large gates opening. As they opened, Billy's hand fell back down, much to his relief. "Ta-da! We're in." 

"Conjectural Technologies!" Billy exclaimed happily. 

Once they walked up the long pathway to the mansion, they were let in by Pei Wei, whom led them to the bathroom to wait out before they would be truly captured. They both tried to keep themselves entertained as they were sitting inside the bathroom, looking anywhere but the shower where Augustus St Cloud was. 

"Mousse?" Pete said, grabbing the bottle off of the sink. "I didn't even know they made mousse anymore." He squeezed a generous portion into his gloved hand, before beginning to play with his hair with it. 

"You had all morning," Billy said in aggravation, finally looking over at the man that was showering. 

"Well, you guys took so long, I thought I'd freshen up," he replied as he continued to bathe himself. "Pei! Bring me my soap mitt! And don't play stupid about the red ball. I know what it is." 

"Yes, it's a prop from Duran Duran's  _ Is There Something I Should Know _ video," Billy replied with his hands up in a shrug. 

"Sure it is, Quizboy," he replied sarcastically as he continued to lather himself. "It's not the source of your power or the key to human history at all. It's just a red bouncy ball from a video. Whatevs."

Pete had finished styling his hair, saying, "Hey, hey, check it out! I'm from a flock of seagulls!" He folded his arms and smiled in amusement as he showed Billy, though Billy was not even paying attention. "Y/N would appreciate it." The last part was in a quiet murmur. "Where is my wife?" 

Billy, on the other hand, had his attention drawn to the soap sponge that the rich man would apparently be using. He said, "Is that Henrietta Pussycat?" He asked as he watched the golden tray carrying the object. "The Henrietta Pussycat from the Neighborhood of Make-Believe?" 

"The same," Cloud replied. "Thank you, Pei. I use her as a shower mitt. Does that bother you, Quizboy?"

"It's sacrilege!" He exclaimed. "That's a priceless artifact and part of our collective childhood, you monster." 

Pete had created another hairstyle, fully spiking the front of his hair. Smiling, he turned around to show Billy once again, saying, "Hey, look, look! I'm in the Exploited." 

Billy gave him an uncomfortable shrug in response, disappointing Pete once again. Cloud taunted Billy, drawing his attention once again as he said, "Mmm, she's super-absorbent and so extra soft. Aren't you, Henrietta? Meow, meow. Yes I am. Meow, meow. Oh, yes you are." 

"Just give us the ball!" Billy yelled, exasperated. 

Pete chimed in, saying, "And Y/N!" 

"No, I've got a whole thing planned for the ball," Cloud replied. "I've got a whole set made and everything--worth the wait. And oh, good to remind me. Pei! Go check on Dr Y/N!" Cloud turned back to the stuffed cat. "What, Henrietta? You want to wash me...down there? Well, by all means." 

"Please tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing!" Billy exclaimed uncomfortably. 

Pete turned, saying, "Billy, remember tool academy?" as he pointed to his fully vertically spiked hair. 


	32. XXXI

Robo-bo was at the bottom of the room, not far from Augustus St Cloud, while your husband and friend were tied up on the chairs you had been looking at prior. Augustus held the red ball in his hands, saying, "Do you like what I've done? Well worth the wait, I hope. I even gift-wrapped the albino's owner." 

"Yes, we're very impressed with your set up," Billy said exhaustedly. "My god, just give your evil speech already!" 

Cloud chuckled, saying, "See the pyramid? The time machine from the video? Yeah, I bought that." 

"Yes, just go!" Billy said impatiently. 

Pete kept glancing over at you, a worried look upon his face. You wished you could just run over to him, hold him, and kiss him upon the lips. Part of you wanted to just make this whole situation go away, but you also knew that you had to play the part. They wanted the supervillain after all. 

"This is the  _ please, please, tell me _ ball--formed by Marc Bolan, inflated by Roxy Music, its poerr passed down to every new romantic band ever since," Cloud said, holding up the ball with both hands. 

"It's a prop from an '80s video," Pete replied in a deadpan tone. 

"Without this ball, the new romantics could never have happened," Cloud continued, causing you to roll your eyes as you sat there. You, unlike Pete White and Billy Quizboy, had been tied up in the room for a good hour by this point. Part of you was just hoping for all of it to be over soon. "Duran Duran would be a jock-rock band."

"You're completely nuts," Billy argued. "It's a red rubber ball." 

"Imagine--no Spandau Ballet to write  _ If You Leave _ ," Cloud continued, getting closer to Billy as he spoke. "John Hughes is without inspiration, forcing Molly Ringwald to remain on  _ The Facts Of Life _ . Her plucky charm propels the show into legend, allowing Kim Fields to successfully run for public office. So, tell me, Quizboy, are you prepared for a world of jocks led by President Tootie?" 

"It's a useless collectible," Billy laughed. 

"Just give us the ball, St. Cloud!" Pete spat at him. "And my wife." 

"You want the ball?" Cloud teased. "Here, take it." He bounced it off of Pete's chest, causing you to grimace. "Psych! No, no, seriously. Here, you can have the ball." He then bounced it off of White's head. Now you had understood why you were stuck on the opposite side of the room. "Could you be any more lame? Here, I was just kidding." 

Billy uses his still extended arm to smack the ball, knocking it back to Pete who had deflected it off of his head to Cloud. "Ohh!" Billy exclaimed. "Why did you do that?!"

"I...uh, reflex?" Pete said. 

"Reflex is a lonely child who is waiting by the park," Cloud said, hitting a soft spot with you. 

You glanced down as you thought of her, and now you couldn't stop thinking of her. You had to focus on everything going on, but he had hit two of your weaknesses, one being a weakness you would never get back. It was like your heart was ripped from your chest again, but you were barely even noticed as a captive anyhow. 

"Alright, fine," Billy exclaimed. "Have the ball! So what do you want?" 

"Oh, goody," St. Cloud said, "The denouement. Well, as you know, this pyramid is a portal to the old west. I'm going to send the ball back in time. That is, unless you sell me your company, Conjectural Technologies...for a single penny." 

"How does this have anything to do with her?" Pete cut in, referring to you. "We would get Y/N back as well, right?"

"If I do not allow her to go back with you, unfortunately I already know what would become of it," he said, glancing back at you. You were forcing yourself to stare forward, working on forgetting what Cloud had said that sent you into your spiral. "If you were to refuse, leaving her here, she would escape and likely kill you both." 

"You act as if I'm a maniac," you said with a grimace. 

Cloud chuckled, saying, "I know your file. That is specifically why the Morticia Addams dress was tailored to fit your frame."

While you bantered with Augustus St Cloud, the two of them had come to a decision. Primarily it had been Billy to agree more than Pete, but in the end, Billy was the one to speak up. "Fine, we will sell you Conjectural Technologies for a penny," he said. 


	33. XXXII

"If there's no New Romantics, then stuff like new rock woulda happened way earlier," Billy said as the three of you walked, him holding the ball as you held tightly to Pete's hand, his slender fingers intertwined with your own. "I mean, Linkin Park and System of a Down woulda formed in the 80's, and that woulda ruined future hip-hop. With no good hip-hop, there's no RZA. I lost my virginity to side 'a' of Wu-Tang Forever. We had to do it. Just think of what your hair would look like." 

"Well, now we have nothing," Pete said. "Robo-bo, all our inventions, our home--all sold to St. Cloud. All we have is that stupid ball that you think is magic. Because, you're a...a dreamer."

"Well, this was your dream, too," Billy countered. 

"Yeah, was," Pete replied morosely. 

"White, it is magic," Billy said encouragingly. "Why would you doubt that? It's the  _ please, please tell me  _ ball. It's worth it. We saved the world. We did." 

"What are we gonna do now, Billy?" Pete asked his smaller friend, causing you to grimace. 

"I don't know," Billy replied deflated. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." 

"What did St Cloud do to you while you were there?" Pete asked, his red eyes turning to you as the three of you began walking again. 

You shrugged uncomfortably. “Honestly, he didn’t do anything despite treat me like a human being,” you said softly. “I mean, one that he doesn’t hate.”

Pete could not help but frown at your words, but the three of you continued walking back to the trailer, trying to think of what could possibly happen in the future. You could just snap your fingers and get everyone a nice place, but what held you back, as you talked to St. Cloud about, left you at a crossroad. The two of you were engaged, and yet, you just could not fall back into your own ways.


	34. XXXIII

"Good morning, Peter," could be heard as Pete opened the door. 

Pete groaned at the short, rich man that stood outside of the doorway to the trailer. You stood beside him as you were face to face with St Cloud once more. From the kitchen, you could hear Billy yell, "Who is it?"

"It's our arch enemy and owner of our life," Pete called in. 

"Tell him to die!" Billy replied. 

"What, did you come here for breakfast?" Pete asked, turning back to Cloud. 

"No, I'm just here to inform you that I sold your company and your miserable hides for a considerable profit," he replied smugly. "Oh, wait--that's gloating, isn't it? Oh, well, here's the info." He handed Pete a manilla envelope, before glancing over at you. "Nice to see you, Doctor Y/N. I added in a good word for you. Anyhow, ta-ta, losers."

"Ugh, look at his hips," Pete muttered out as Agustus walked away. "I swear that guy takes estrogen pills." 

Billy walked over to grab the manilla envelope, opening it to look at who now owned the company. His face lit up as he glanced at the paper, saying, "Pack your bags, White, we're going to New York City!" 

"Are you serious?" He said, clearly shocked as he glanced down upon the paper. It had the Venture logo upon it, completely professional. The two of them had been reassigned, sold as workers to Doctor Venture. Ironically enough, Billy's arch enemy had done something truly positive for them. "Wait, why is Y/N listed? And why does St. Cloud keep calling her doctor?" 

You sheepishly bit your lip, a smile tugging upon your lips. "I wanted to be the one to tell you both first, but St. Cloud just kept saying it," you said quietly. "I finished up my Doctorate." 

Pete stood there speechless, simply staring at you as Billy managed to close the door. Billy was the first to speak up, asking, "Why didn't you tell anyone you were in school--or did you make a deal with the investors?" His face contorted a little bit when he mentioned the investors, as his experience was a mixed bag with those men. 

You shake your head, putting your hands up quickly in defense. "Online school, I swear," you said hastily. "My arch made a wager that I couldn't finish without help. Ironically enough, when I proved him wrong, he gave up his arching rights." 

Pete finally unfrozen from his medusa-like state, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you close to him. He placed a hasty, passionate kiss upon your lips that you gladly returned, wrapping your now calm arms around his neck as you did. The kiss was quick, and as the two of you separated, he said, "That's amazing, Y/N!" 

"Congratulations," Billy said with a smile as well. "Though neither of us even knew you were in the sciences."

"I mean, we wouldn't have left you out of as much if we knew," Pete chimed in. 

You chuckled softly, saying, "Honestly getting so close and not graduating in the other dimension was something that I was more than a little embarrassed about. "When I had my daughter, I took off of college, and then all the complications, including obviously dying." 

"Why would your arch give up his rights over you graduating?" Pete questioned, confused. 

You explained to both of them while the three of you began packing that you had been approached by your arch enemy when they were gone the one day, and how that transpired. Explaining how your ex took credit to being the only reason you had gotten as far as you had, the two of them began to understand the secrecy, as well as why you had been so tired lately. Internally, you were thrilled to have your first science-related job, though you would still keep up with the freelance work you were doing as well in the meantime. 

When the three of you had gotten packed up, you discussed living arrangements. Billy was aware that his mother was living in New York City, though she was living with three men in a smaller home. Regardless of that, his mother had still offered for the three of you to live with her. 

You gave Pete and Billy the choice of what they wished to do, seeing as you planned to either rent or buy something in the area to live in. There was no way you would be able to live with so many people without feeling like an imposition. On top of that, you preferred being able to have your own alone time, and with seven people, it was doubtful. 


	35. XXXIV

It had not taken you long to find a cost effective home out near the New York City branch of Venture Enterprises. For the first time in almost twenty years, the two men had decided to live separately. Billy had been quick to accept the offer to live with his mother, though you told him that the offer for him to the home you had found would always be open. 

You had dropped Billy off at his mother's home before making your way to the new place. It was not incredibly large, but it was significantly larger than the old trailer. When the two of you had pulled into the driveway, Pete had openly gaped at the building, his red eyes wide behind his sunglasses. "It's the whole house?' Pete asked, bewildered by the size of something that he would actually be living in. 

Chuckling softly, you got out of the car with him, entangling fingers with his own. "Mhm," you said, "It was actually a lot cheaper than I expected for the city." 

Pete did not have a lot of belongings, though he also did not expect to walk into a fully furnished home. It was not taking a quote out of Augustus St. Cloud's playbook as he had suggested, but it was still more than anything Pete White had lived in since his own parents place. "This is, ah, jeez, at least like three times the size of the camper," he said in awe as the two of you walked in, him carrying the belongings that he had, while you carried your own. 

"I hope you like it," you said sheepishly, a smile upon your face. As you spoke you led your still awe-struck albino boyfriend to the bedroom so the both of you could set down the contents you were carrying. Since most of what they owned was sold to St. Cloud during the horrible arching experience, there were only amenities, clothes, and a couple of basic electronics left in the ownership of both Pete White and Billy Quizboy, and Billy had taken half. 

"Like it?" Pete said with a scoff. "This is like the lap of luxury in comparison to the trailer. Why the fuck didn't we do this sooner?" As he spoke, he chuckled a little bit, scoping out the room with his red eyes in wonder. Each word that fell off of his lips was brimming with excitement as he spoke, causing your smile to grow. 

"Honestly?" You said with a laugh, shrugging. "Neither of you said anything."

Before you knew it, you felt long, slender arms wrapped around you from behind, his head craning down to give you a smirking kiss upon your neck. "Well, you know, we don't have to go to work until morning," he whispered in the shell of your ear, causing you to blush deeply. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized when getting ready to post this that this one was going to turn into intended smut. I'll have to write a little bonus chapter and add that on in!  
This book is INCREDIBLY rough, and I apologize for that. There's probably two million things I could have added into this, but it literally takes up over 100 pages on my google docs already, and would have turned into a novel if I didn't stop myself. It NEEDS to be edited, and I will be going through it slowly doing so.


End file.
